BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 

-o» 

THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


NEW  MEXICO. 


1  NATIAL 


AND  ATTBACTIOffi 


COLLECTION  OF  FACTS, 


MAINLY   CONCERNING   HER 


Geography,  Climate,  Population,  Schools,  Mines  and 

Minerals,  Agricultural  and  Pastoral  Capacities, 

Prospective  Railroads,  Public  Lands, 


AND 


1  SPANISH  AND  MEXICAN  LAND  GRANTS. 


BY 


ELIAS  BREVOORT. 


Veritatis  simplex   Oratio  est. 


SAXTA    FE: 

PRINTED   AND    PUBLISHED    BY    ELIAS    BREYOORT. 


1874. 


JEW  MEXICO. 


Alfl 

ArllJ 


BEING    A 


COLLECTION  OF  FACTS, 

MAINLY   CONCERNING   HER 

Geography,  Climate,  Population,  Schools,  Mines  and 

Minerals,  Agricultural  and  Pastoral  Capacities, 

Prospective  Railroads,  Public  Lands, 

AND 

SPANISH  AND  MEXICAN  LAND  GRANTS. 

BY 

ELI  AS  .BREVOORT. 


"Veritatis  simplex  Oratio  est. 


SANTA   FE: 

PRINTED  AND   PUBLISHED   BY   ELIAS   BREVOORT. 

1874. 


NEWSPAPERS  OF  NEW    M.EXICO. 


THE  NEW  MEXICAN,* Santa  Fe. 

THE  REGIMENTAL,  FLAG, Santa  F& 

THE  CIMABBON  NEWS, . . . Cimarron. 

THE  BAILWAY.  PRESS  AND  TELEGBAPH,...Elizabethtown. 

THE  LAS  VEGAS  GAZETTE,* Las  Vegas. 

THE  NEW  MEXICO  ADVEBTISEB,* Las  Vegas. 

THE  REPUBLICAN  REVIEW,* Alburquerque. 

THE  BOBDEBEB, Las  Cruces. 

THE  MESILL A  NEWS,* Mesilla. 

THE  MINING  LIFE, Silver  City. 

THE  TRIBUNE, Silver  City. 

THE  MOBA  MAIL,* Mora. 

*  Published  in  English  and  Spanish. 


UTHORITIES. 


GENTLEMEN  WE  ARE  MAINLY  INDEBTED  TO  FOR  INFORMATION. 


WILLIAM   F.    M.    ARNY,  Ex-Governor  of  New  Mexico. 

JOHN  A.  CLARK,  Ex-U.  S.  Surveyor-General  for  New  Mexico. 

JOAB  HOUGHTON,  Ex- Judge  Supreme  Court,  New  Mexico. 

JOSEPH  G.  KNAPP,  the  same. 

JAMES  K.  PROUDFIT,  U.  S.  Surveyor-General  for  New  Mexico. 

DAVID  J.  MILLER,  Chief  Clerk  and  Translator  for  same. 

ABRAM  G.  HOYT,  Register  of  the  U.  S.  *Land  Office. 

F.  V.  HAYDEN,  U.  S.  Exploring  Geologist. 

CYRUS  THOMAS,  Agriculturist  with  same. 

W.  J.  PALMER,  Director  Transcontinental  Railway  Survey  1867. 

C.  C.  PARRY,  Naturalist  and  Geologist  with  same. 

ELIAS  BREVOORT,  twenty-four  years  residenter  in  New  Mexico. 


REFERENCES, 


GENTLEMEN  OF  OUR  PERSONAL  ACQUAINTANCE  WE  TAKE  THE 
LIBERTY  TO  MENTION. 


GENERAL  L.  C.  EASTON,  U.  S.  A.,  Leavenworth. 

HON.   MIGUEL  A.  OTERO,  Granada,  Colorado. 

GEORGE  A.  HAY  WARD,  421  Olive  street,  St.  Louis. 

COLONEL  A.  J.  BOONE,  Denver, 

SAMUEL  WETHERED,  Baltimore. 

HON.  S.  B.  ELKINS,  Delegate  from  New  Mexico,  Washington. 

GENERAL  D.  H.  RUCKER,  U.  S.  A.,  Chicago. 

LEVI  SPIEGELBERG,  32  Church  street,  New  York. 

HON.  A.  M.  JACKSON,  Austin,  Texas. 

COLONEL  H.  M.  ENOS,  U.  S.  A.,  Milwaukee. 

HARRY  M.  MILLER,  «  Commercial  »  office,  Cincinnati. 

HON.  JUAN  H.  ZUBIRAN,  Chihuahua,  Mexico. 

HON.  G.  H.  OURY,  Tucson. 

GENERAL  SAM.  D.  STURGES,  U.  S-  A.,  Louisville. 

CHARLES  W.  KITCHEN,  Salt  Lake  City. 

LEHMAN  SPIEGELBERG,  President  Second  National  Bank,  Santa  Fe. 

JOAQUIN  PEREA,  535  Clay  street,  San  Francisco. 

DAVIS  &  FRERET,  27  Commercial  Place,  New  Orleans. 

GEORGE  A.  ROBERTS,  with  A.  T.  Stewart,  Philadelphia. 

JOHNSON  &  KOCH,  Santa  Fe. 

ZENON  DE  MORUELLE,  Galveston. 

REYNOLDS  &   GRIGGS,  Mesilla. 

CHARLES  E.  KEARNEY,  Kansas  City. 

D.  D.  BRAINARD  &  CO.,  Monterey,  Mexico. 

MATTHIAS  SMYTH,  Merced,  California. 

FRANK  McMANUS,  Chihuahua. 

BOST  &  JENKINS,  331  Montgomery  street,  San  Francisco. 


EDICATION, 


TO  SOLID  MEN, 

MEN  OF  MEANS  AND  ENTERPRISE,  MEN  DESIRING   THROUGH  SAFE 

INVESTMENT  ALIKE  THE  WELFARE  OF  THEMSELVES  AND 

THE  GROWTH  AND  GLORY  OF  THE  COMMONWEALTH, 

MEN  OF  PERCEPTION  AND  ACTION, 

EVERYWHERE, 
THE     FOLLOWING    PAGES, 

INTENDED 
TO  PRESENT  TO  THE  BONE  AND  SINEW 

OF 

THE  WORLD  OF  CAPITALISTS  AND  OF  PRODUCERS, 
FARMERS  AND  LIVE  STOCK  MEN, 

BY 

FAIR  AND  TRUTHFUL  STATEMENT, 
THE  NOW  SCARCELY  KNOWN  OR  APPRECIATED  EXCELLENCIES 

OF   THE 
TERRITORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

AS  A  FIELD  FOR 
THE  PROFITABLE  INVESTMENT  OF  CAPITAL  BEFORE  THE  COMING  DAY 

OF 
RAILROADS,   IMMIGRATION  AND  EMPIRE, 

MAINLY   IN 
MINING,  FARMING  AND  STOCKRAISING, 

AND  ESPECIALLY   IN 
THE  EARLY  ACQUISITION  OF  LARGE  LANDED  ESTATES, 

ARE 

RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED, 
BY 


PREFACE. 


The  little  work  we  here  offer  has  been  prepared  in  more  of  a 
hurry  than  we  could  obviate,  as  our  time  and  business  engage- 
ments while  occupied  upon  it  did  not  permit  that  application  to 
it  of  attention  and  labor  which  a  due  performance  of  the  under- 
taking really  demanded.  Nevertheless  we  send  it  forth  as  it  is. 
The  only  thing  of  the  kind  heretofore  attempted  was  the 
pamphlet  of  about  one  hundred  pages,  Interesting  Items  regarding 
New  Mexico,  gotten  up  and  published  last  year  by  Governor  Arny, 
the  edition  of  which,  owing  to  the  great  demand  for  it  from 
abroad,  was  soon  exhausted.  This  fact  among  others  suggested 
to  us  the  preparation  of  something  of  the  same  kind — though 
far  above  and  beyond  this  motive  we  were  actuated  by  a  desire 
to  labor  in  th^  task  of  elevating  New  Mexico  to  the  high  position 
in  the  world  of  wealth  and  business  to  which  her  natural 
resources  and  her  natural  advantages  certainly  give  her  a 
commanding  claim. 

The  population  of  New  Mexico  hitherto  has  not,  unfortunately, 
been  of  the  progressive  kind.  The  Spanish  and  Mexican  race, 
of  whom  until  recently  ten  tenths,  and  at  this  time  nine  tenths 
of  the  population  is  composed,  has  caused  the  country  to  pro- 
gress scarcely  a  move  in  the  march  of  material  improvement 
and  wealth  beyond  what  it  was  in  the  days  of  the  Spanish  vice- 
royalty  in  Mexico  to  which  it  was  once  subject.  Hitherto 
we  have  had  almost  absolutely  no  institutions  of  learning,  no 
statesmen,  no  public  spirit,  no  boards  of  immigration,  no  colonies, 
no  railroads. 

Each  of  the  several  territories  of  the  United  States  aspiring 
to  the  position  and  rank  of  a  state  of  the  Union  through  the 
acquisition  of  population  and  the  development  of  its  natural 


PREFACE. 


resources  and  capabilities,  has  presented  and  urged  incessantly 
its  claims  to  the  attention  of  the  outer  world  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  its  local  press  and  innumerable  immigration  pam- 
phlets. Surely  it  is  time  now  that  the  oldest  and  most  populous, 
and  yet  the  least  known  because  hitheito  the  least  ambitious,  of 
the  territories,  should  enter  the  lists  for  the  championship  of 
them  all.  Like  the  sleeping  giant,  New  Mexico  has  been  repos- 
ing in  the  consciousness  of  her  strength  and  power,  to  arouse  when 
the  time  should  come,  and  to  assume  among  the  political  divis- 
ions and  powers  of  the  Union,  and  in  the  busy  world,  the  posi- 
'tion  and  rank  to  which  the  laws  of  Nature  and  of  Nature's  God 
entitle  her. 

But  some  of  the  great  philosophers  declared  that  no  man  does 
aught  without  a  private  motive.  If  this  be  true,  then  we,  in 
preparing  this  our  very  imperfect  little  work  on  New  Mexico, 
must  have  had  ours;  and  if  we  had,  we  think  it  must  have 
been  in  this,  that  being  a  land  grant  agent  (see  our  card  at  the 
end),  and  being,  as  we  think  we  are,  thoroughly  posted  in  all 
matters  and  things  relating  to  or  in  anywise  concerning  Spanish 
or  Mexican  private  land  claims  in  the  Territory — as  to  their 
locality,  extent,  character,  capacity  and  title  tenure — and  being 
as  we  are  as  a  "middle  man  "  ready  at  all  times  to  give  infor- 
mation concerning  any  of  them  or  to  operate  in  their  purchase 
or  sale,  we  desired  to  enlarge  our  business  in  the  ample  field 
New  Mexico  now  affords  therefor.  And  if  indeed  such  a 
motive  we  had,  we  only  know  that  while  one  of  business 
prompted  us  to  the  task,  a  feeling  of  pleasure  in  the  work  chiefly 
moved  us  in  its  execution. 

SANTA  FE,  May,  1874. 


NEW  MEXICO. 


EXTENT,  POPULATION,  Etc. 

New  Mexico  has  pertained,  at  different  periods  and  with 
different  boundaries*  and  extent,  to  three  different  nationalities 
— to  Spain,  to  Mexico,  and  to  the  United  States.  Under  Spain 
it  was  called  the  province  of  Nuevo  Mexico,  under  Mexico  the 
province,  the  territory,  the  state,f  and  the  department  of  Nuevo 
Mexico,  and  under  the  United  States  it  is  called  the  Territory  of 
New  Mexico,  destined,  we  have  no  doubt,  in  a  very  few  years 
to  become  one  of  the  States  of  the  American  Union. 

The  Territory  was  created  by  the  act  of  the  United  States 
congress  of  September  9,  1850,  and  the  territorial  government 
put  in  operation  March  1,  1851,  with  the  eastern  and  southern 
boundaries  as  they  now  are,  and  with  the  northern  along  the 
thirty-eighth  degree  of  latitude,  and  the  western  along  the 
Bio  Colorado  of  the  west,  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  State  of 
California.  Afterwards  a  whole  degree  of  latitude  was  by  congress 
taken  from  us  on  the  north,  and  given  to  the  Territory  of  Colo- 
rado, then  a  portion  of  our  northwest  corner  attached  to  the 
State  of  Nevada,  and  then  the  whole  of  the  territory  of  Arizona 
lopped  off  from  our  western  half — so  that  at  this  time  the  Terri- 
tory extends  from  103°  to  109°  longitude  west  from  Greenwich, 
and  from  31°  47'  to  37°  north  latitude,  in  other  words  is  bounded 
on  the  north  by  Colorado,  on  the  east  by  Texas  and  Indian 
Territory,  on  the  south  by  Texas  and  Mexico,  and  on  the  west 
by  Arizona,  and  extends  on  an  average  three  hundred  and  fifty- 
two  miles  north  and  south,  and  three  hundred  and  thirty- two 
miles  east  and  west. 


*  The  provincial  deputation  on  January  4,  1823,  in  dividing  the  province 
into  civil  jurisdictional  districts,  stated  the  boundaries  of  New  Mexico  as  "on 
the  N.  the  Arkansas  river,  on  the  S.  New  Biscay  to  the  Mimbres  mountain,  on 
the  W.  the  Mogollon  mountain  the  Moqui  Indian  pueblos,  thence  to  the  head- 
waters of  the  Rio  Grande  del  Norte,  on  the  E.  the  Senisos  hills  and  pueblo  of 
Jumanes,  and  thence  southwardly  over  the  sandhills." 

t  The  Mexican  congress  on  February  4,  1824,  erected  the  "Northern 
State,"  created  from  the  provinces  of  New  Mexico,  Chihuahua  and  Durango. 
We  believe  the  law  was  soon  repealed,  mainly  on  account  of  a  quarrel  over  the 
location  of  the  capital,  Durango  demanding  it  at  the  city  of  Durango,  and 
Chihuahua  and  New  Mexico  at  the  city  of  Chihuahua. 


12  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

The  general  face  of  the  country,  says  the  Commissioner  of 
the  General  Land  Office  in  his  annual  report  for  1870,  is 
constituted  of  high  level  plateaus,  traversed  by  ranges  of 
mountains  from  occasional  isolated  peaks  rise  to  a  great  hight, 
and  intersected  by  rapid  streams  of  water  flowing  through  beauti- 
ful fertile  valleys,  and  channeling  in  the  precipitous  rocky  canons. 
The  general  course  of  the  mountains,  valleys  and  streams  is  from 
north  to  south,  with  the  tendency  to  a  deflection  from  northwest 
to  southeast,  or  towards  Mexico  and  the  isthmus  of  Panama, 
the  territory  including  the  southern  extension  of  the  mountains 
constituting  what  is  called  in  more  northern  latitudes  the  great 
Rocky  Range,  this  being  an  elevated  continental  vertebral  col- 
umn, extending  from  the  Arctic  Ocean  to  South  America  without 
losing  its  identity,  or  the  chain  of  connecting  peaks  being 
broken,  and  following  a  line  parallel  with  the  general  contour 
of  the  Pacific  coast  throughout  its  whole  extent.  The  rivers  of 
New  Mexico  form  parte  of  the  water  systems  of  both  the  Atlantic 
and  Pacific  slopes — those  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  dividing 
range  emptying  into  the  gulf  of  Mexico  by  way  of  the  Canadian 
and  Mississippi  rivers  and  the  Rio  Grande  del  Norte,  and  those 
on  the  western  side  flowing  into  the  gulf  of  California  by  way 
of  the  Rio  Gila  and  Colorado  of  the  West. 

The  general  altitude  of  the  mountain  chains,  rising  on  either 
side  of  the  Rio  Grande  and  Pecos,  is  between  6000  and  8000 
feet,  and  sometimes,  especially  in  the  northern  sections  of  the 
territory,  they  reach  the  hight  of  10,000  and  12,000  feet  above 
the  sea  level.  One  of  the  most  noted  elevations  is  Mount 
Taylor,  situated  northwest  of  Santa  F4,  which  rises  to  a  hight  of 
10,000  feet  above  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  this  valley 
having  itself  an  elevation  of  between  5000  and  6000  feet  above 
the  sea  in  its  northern  extension  towards  the  Colorado  boundary, 
4800  feet  at  Alburquerque,  and  3000  feet  at  El  Paso,  just  across 
the  southern  boundary  in  the  Mexican  state  of  Chihuahua. 

The  climate  is  considerably  varied  by  the  changes  of  latitude 
and  by  the  elevation  of  the  surface  of  the  country.  The  salubrity 
of  the  climate  is  remarkable,  and  constitutes  one  of  its  most 
attractive  features,  the  malarious  maladies  occasional  in  some 
localities  of  the  Mississippi  valley  and  elsewhere  where  the  soil 
is  imperfectly  cultivated  and  surplus  vegetation  allowed  to 
decay  on  the  surface,  being  entirely  unknown  in  New  Mexico; 


EXTENT,    POPULATION,    ETC.  13 


and  seldom  are  persons  here  affected  with  pulmonary  or  hepatic 
diseases,  while  the  presence  of  numerous  thermal  and  other 
mineral  springs,  possessing  extraordinary  curative  powers, 
promises  to  render  it,  as  soon  as  their  virtues  shall  have  become 
as  well  known  to  the  great  public  as  now  to  the  explorer  and 
pioneer,  one  of  the  most  popular  places  of  resort  by  those 
residents  of  the  cities  and  towns  whose  physical  health  is 
impaired,  and  who  seek  recuperation,  and  the  beauty  of  its 
natural  scenery  must  attract  many  who  desire  relief  for  minds 
overtaxed  with  the  care  and  labor  of  arduous  professions  or 
engrossing  mercantile  pursuits. 

The  plateaus,  valleys  and  hillsides  of  New  Mexico,  continues 
the  commissioner,  are  usually  covered  with  various  indigenous 
grasses,  furnishing  the  best  of  pasturage  for  sheep  and  cattle, 
the  most  valuable  and  widely  distributed  of  these  grasses  being 
a  variety  called  the  mesquite  or  grama  grass,  which  grows 
during  the  rainy  season  of  July  and  August,  ripens  under  the 
influence  of  autumnal  suns  and  dries  upon  the  stalk,  bearing  a 
copious  abundance  of  nutritious  seeds,  and  constituting  adequate 
support  for  every  kind  of  live  stock  throughout  the  entire 
winter,  and  until  the  more  rapidly  growing  herbage  of  the 
spring  and  early  summer  has  attained  sufficient  growth  to 
attract  animals  by  its  freshness  from  their  winter  sustenance, 
and  furnish  the  change  of  food  necessary  to  the  most  perfect 
development  of  animal  life.  The  herdsman  and  shepherd  in 
this  country  therefore  possess  great  advantages  over  the  farmer 
and  stockraiser  of  the  more  eastern  states,  as  the  latter  is 
compelled  to  spend  a  large  portion  of  his  time  and  labor  in 
summer  in  providing  food  for  the  support  of  his  stock  during 
winter  months;  besides  this  advantage  there  is  fc>  be  considered 
the  fact  that  mildness  of  the  winters  and  the  slight  falls  of  snow 
render  shelter,  other  than  that  afforded  by  the  valleys,  and 
timber,  entirely  unnecessary  for  the  protection  of  the  herds  and 
flocks,  the  pure  air,  wide  ranges,  and  excellent  food  resulting 
in  an  extraordinary  healthiness  of  the  animals,  among  which 
the  contagious  diseases,  prevalent  in  other  sections,  are  almost 
entirely  unknown,  the  horses  being  remarkable  for  their 
endurance,  and  the  beef  and  mutton  celebrated  for  their  ex- 
cellence, while  the  flesh  of  the  cattle  and  sheep  is  readily  cured 
without  the  use  of  salt,  by  being  hung  up  in  the  open  air,  the 


14  BBEVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

variety  of  the  atmosphere  soon  producing  a  state  of  dryness, 
which  will  preserve  it  in  all  its  natural  sweetness  and  excellence 
for  any  reasonable  period.  The  production  of  wool  is  at  present 
one  of  the  most  profitable  branches  of  industry  in  the  Territory, 
and  the  recent  introduction  of  the  improved  breeds  of  sheep, 
with  the  view  of  obtaining  larger  animals  and  finer  qualities  of 
fleece,  will  undoubtedly  contribute  greatly  to  the  advancement 
of  this  interest. 

The  mining  interests  of  the  Territory  are  important,  and 
promise  to  constitute  in  the  immediate  future  one  of  the  chief 
sources  of  wealth  and  prosperity;  the  deposits  of  gold,  silver,  cop- 
per, iron  and  coal  being  extensive  and  valuable.  Embarrassments, 
proceeding  from  Indian  difficulties,  and  from  the  want  of  ready 
means  of  transportation  for  supplies  and  products,  have  greatly 
retarded  the  development  of  the  mines  in  the  past;  but  recently 
the  country  has  become  more  settled  and  safe,  in  consequence 
of  the  present  beneficent  Indian  policy  of  the  government  and 
the  efficient  administration  of  the  same,  the  result  being  new 
discoveries  of  valuable  mines,  and  more  profitable  working  of 
the  older  ones,  the  yield  of  gold  and  silver  during  the  past  year 
comparing  very  favorably  with  that  of  any  of  the  past  years  in 
the  history  of  this  interest,  notwithstanding  the  suspension  of 
work  on  some  of  the  principal  mines,  for  the  purpose  of  introduc- 
ing new  and  improved  machinery  with  the  view  of  their  more 
economical  working.  The  great  desideratum  in  connection 
with  the  mining  interest  is  better  and  cheaper  modes  of  trans- 
portation, \shich  can  only  be  furnished  by  the  construction  of 
railroads,  and  when  these  shall  have  been  extended  through 
the  Territory — as  they  inevitably  soon  must  be,  in  the  course 
of  American  progress — the  mines  of  New  Mexico  will  undoubt- 
edly contribute  greatly  to  the  augmentation  of  the  present 
annual  product  of  the  precious  metals  in  the  United  States. 

There  are  certain  portions  of  the  Territory  perhaps  unfit  for 
either  cultivation  or  pasturage — but  it  is  certain  that  almost  all 
the  valleys  of  the  rivers,  as  well  as  the  table-lands  within  reach 
of  irrigation,  are  exceedingly  productive,  the  soil  possessing 
elements  of  great  fertility,  and  the  occasional  scarcity  of  water 
alone  preventing  the  more  arid  portions  from  producing  excellent 
crops  and  superior  indigenous  herbage.  The  most  abundant 
crops  of  the  Territory  are  those  of  corn,  wheat,  barley,  oats, 


EXTENT,    POPULATION,    ETC.  15 

apples,  peaches,  apricots  and  grapes;  all  of  "these  grains  and 
fruits  thriving  readily,  and  the  crops  being  of  excellent  quality. 
The  soil,  climate  and  nature  of  the  surface  are  especially  adapted 
to  the  culture  of  the  grape,  this  being  an  important  branch  of  the 
husbandry  of  the  country,  the  yield  of  fruit  being  prolific,  and 
the  wine  produced  therefrom  of  excellent  quality.  Consequent 
upon  the  necessity  of  irrigation,  cultivation  of  the  soil  is  confined 
to  those  localities  where  water  from  the  rivers  and  streams  can 
be  readily  obtained,  the  usual  method  of  securing  the  necessary 
supplies  being  by  constructing  large  canals,  called  acequias 
madres,  of  sufficient  capacity  for  an  entire  town  or  settlement,* 
at  the  cost  of  all  who  desire  the  benefits  to  be  derived  therefrom, 
along  the  most  elevated  portions  of  the  valleys  or  over  the 
greater  elevations  of  the  plateaus  adjoining  the  foothills  of  the 
mountains,  and  from  this  main  ditch  each  farmer  constructs  his 
owrn  minor  canal  to  the  lands  he  desires  to  irrigate,  the  right  of 
each  to  the  use  of  the  water  being  confined  to  certain  hours  in 
each  week,  in  order  that  the  supply  may  be  fairly  divided,  a 
farmer  being  able,  by  the  use  of  these  ditches,  to  water  thoroughly 
about  five  acres  in  a  day,  on  even  ground.  The  necessity  for  irri- 
gation is  certainly  the  source  of  considerable  trouble  and  labor  to 
the  agriculturist,  but  the  certainty  and  excellence  of  the  crops, 
which  result  from  this  care,  and  the  comparative  freedom  from 
dependence  upon  the  seasons,  almost  atone  for  this  necessity. 
But  it  is  gathered  from  well  tried  experiments  that,  when  more 
attention  has  been  given  in  this  section  to  the  planting  of  fruit  and 
forest  trees,  the  climate  will  be  materially  changed  in  this  respect, 
greater  supplies  of  rain  following,  and  its  fall  being  more  ev.enly 
distributed  through  the  several  seasons. 

The  principal  forests  of  New  Mexico  are  confined  to  the 
mountain  ranges,  being  constituted  chiefly  of  pine,  cedar,  spruce 
and  other  varieties  of  evergreens;  but  on  the  foothills  extensive 
tracts  of  pinon,  cedar  and  mesquite  are  found,  and  in  the  river 
bottoms,  fringing  the  margins  of  the  streams,  are  belts  of 
cottonwood,  sycamore  and  other  deciduous  trees,  while  in  the 


*  The  acequias  are  often  twenty  or  thirty  miles  long,  and  often  afford  consid- 
erable mill  power.  Each  irrigation  is  a  new  coating  of  manure  to  the  soil,  and 
cultivation  by  irrigation,  instead  of  impoverishing,  enriches  the  soil.  The 
Spaniard  two  hundred  and  seventy  years  ago  found  the  Pueblo  Indians  here 
cultivating  the  ground  by  irrigation,  and  the  same  land  has  been  so  tilled  ever 
since  annually,  and  it  is  still  of  undiminished  fertility  and  productiveness. 


16  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

southern  parts  of  the  Territory   groves  of  oak  and  walnut  are 
abundant. 

We  have  made  and  we  subjoin  an  estimate  of  the  present 
population  of  the  Territory  by  counties,,  pueblos  and  country 
settlements.  We  fear  our  estimate  of  121,250 — which  it  happens 
is  just  one  inhabitant  to  the  square  mile — is  too  small  in  reality, 
and  would  not  object  to  the  readers  adding,  say  five  per  centum 
to  it. 

/"  The  census  of  1870  shows  a  population  of  91,871,  and  that  of 
'I860  showed  a  population  of  93,516 — wherefore  there  appears 
prima  facie  to  have  been  during  the  decade  a  decrease  of  1645; 
whereas  the  truth  is,  there  was  an  increase  of  more  than  21,000, 
or  about  thirty  per  cent.  An  explanation  of  the  case  is  important 
in  the  premises,  especially  as  the  want  of  it — owing  in  a  great 
degree  to  the  silence  and,  in  this  matter,  docility  of  the  local 
press — has  for  a  long  time  unquestionably  been  giving  the 
Territory  a  false  and  an  injurious  reputation  among  those 
ignorant  of  the  facts.  Indeed,  we  remember  no  instance  of  a 
reference  to  the  subject  by  any  of  our  journals,  except  in  a 
recent  article  in  the  Daily  New  Mexican  of  Santa  Fe,  and  from 
which  article  we  here  reproduce  a  portion: — 

"The  other  error  is  in  regard  to  population.  It  is  true  that 
the  census  of  1870  shows  an  apparent  loss  of  population  during 
the  preceding  decade,  but  it  is  not  really  so.  The  population  of 
New  Mexico  in  1860  was  93,516,  but  this  included  Arizona,  with 
a  population  of  9,581,  and  a  tier  of  counties,  now  in  Colorado, 
containing  13,318,  which  were  all  set  off  from  us  during  the 
decade,  or  a  total  of  22,899.  By  the  census  of  1870  we  had 
91,871,  showing  that  we  really  increased  21,254,  or  about  30  per 
cent,  upon  the  population  of  the  present  territory  of  New  Mexico, 
which  was  70,617  in  1860,  and  not  93,516,  as  people  generally 
suppose,  and  the  mistake  is  but  natural,  for  the  census  contains 
no  note  of  explanation.  We  claim  that,  considering  the  embar- 
rassments under  which  our  territory  has  labored,  remote  from 
commercial  centers,  far  from  railroads  and  with  totally  inade- 
quate means  of  communication  and  travel,  with  the  false 
reputation  of  being  largely  inhabited  and  overrun  by  savages, 
our  rate  of  increase  was  highly  creditable.  The  average  rate  of 
increase  of  some  twenty  or  more  of  the  old  states  was  but  20 
per  cent,  between  1860  and  1870.  The  actual  rate  of  increase  of 


EXTENT,    POPULATION,    ETC.  17 


New  Mexico  property  was  greater  in  that  time  than  that  of 
Alabama,  Arkansas,  Connecticut,  Delaware,  Georgia,  Indiana, 
Kentucky,  Louisiana,  Maine,  Massachussetts,  Missouri,  Missis- 
sippi, New  Hampshire,  New  York,  North  Carolina,  South 
Carolina,  Ohio,  Pennsylvania,  Rhode  Island,  Tennessee  and 
some  other  states.  The  increase  since  1870  has  been  much 
greater  than  during  any  other  equal  lenght  of  time,  and  we 
think  fully  thirty  per  cent,  already.  Including  our  Pueblo 
Indians — who  are  peaceful,  industrious  and  honest  people, 
living  upon  farms  that  they  have  occupied  from  time  imme- 
morial— we  claim  at  least  130,000  people.  Our  flocks  and  herds, 
our  mineral  development  and  other  substantial  wealth  has 
increased  as  fast  in  proportion  as  our  population,  if  not  faster, 
and  we  are  abundantly  able*  to  provide  for  an  economical  state 
government,  such  as  our  people  will  expect  and  demand." 

The  facts  and  statistics,  presented  by  the  editor,  are  well 
founded  and  correct;  and  from  them  appear  what  was  really  the 
population  of  THE  PRESENT  TERRITORY  at  the  census  of  1860, 
what  it  was  in  fact  at  that  of  1870,  and  what  was  the  actual 
increase  instead  of  the  apparent  decrease  during  the  decade 
intervening  between  the  two  censuses,  as  follows: — 

Census  of  1860 93,516 

Deduct  Population  given  Colorado  in  1861 13,318 

Deduct  population  given  Arizona  in  1863 9,581  22,899 

Real  census  of  I860 .".7.7770, 1*17 


Census  of  1870, 91,871 

Real  census  of  1860 70,617 


Increase  in  the  decade 21,254 

We  very  much  doubt  that  the  last  census — taken  four  years 
ago — was  a  complete  exhibit  of  our  population.  It  seems  to  us 
that  we  had  more  people  than  that  enumeration  shows — that 
we  must  have  had  then  100,000  at  least.  But  if  it  was  complete, 
and  if  our  estimate  of  the  present  population  be  correct,  then 
during  the  last  four  years  the  Territory  has  augmented  its 

*  A  main  question  just  now  (May,  '74)  in  New  Mexico  politics  is  State  or  No 
State;  and  it  has  divided  the  politicians  into  Territory  men  and  State  men.  Our 
delegate  in  congress — who  is  a  state(s)  man — has  introduced  a  bill  for  an  ena- 
bling act,  and  the  article  we  .have  quoted  from  was  written  in  the  «  State" 
interest.  We  may  be  «  able"  to  support  a  state  government;  but  we  think  New 
Mexico  and  the  New  Mexicans  are  not  ready  and  prepared  just  yet  for  a  state 
autonomy.  We  want  railroads  first.  These  make  the  state,  and  not  the  state 
them. 

2 


18 


BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


population  at  least  29,379.  We  cannot  believe  we  have  estimated 
too  small,  in  the  following  statement,  the  number  of  souls  in 
the  respective  counties,  towns,  Indian  pueblos  and  country 
settlements  of  the  Territory. 


POPULATION  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 

Names  and  estimated  resident  populations  of  the  various    cities, 
towns,  villages,  Indian  Pueblos  and  counties  of  the  Territory. 


County  Seats  in  SMALL  CAPS,  Indian  Pueblos  in  Italic,  Post- 
offices  with*. 


In  the  County  of  Taos  : 

*FERNANDO  DE  TAOS, 3,000 

Ranches  de  Taos, 2,000 

Bio  Hondo, 1,500 

*Rio  Colorado, 1,500 

Arroyo  Seco, 1,000 

Embudo, 500 

Taos, 375 

Chemisal, 325 

Las  Trampas, , 275 

Picuris, 250 

*Castilla  de  New  Mexico,! 250 

Penasco, 200 

Santa  Barbara, 200 

Picuris, 150 

Country  settlements, 1,500 

Total, 13,025 

t  The  New  Mexico  t--'  ^''"o  line  runs  through  the  town. 

In  the  County  of  Coif  ax: 

*ClMMARRON, 1,800 

*Elizabethtown, 600 

Clifton, 125 

TJte  Creek, 65 

*Rayado, ^ 700 

Country  settlements, 1,000 

Total, 4,290 


EXTENT,    POPULATION,    ETC. 


19 


In  the  County  of  Mora; 

*MORA, 3,000 

*Sapello, 1,400 

Cevolla, 1,200 

Cueva 1,000 

*La  Junta, 1,000 

Cherry  Valley, 800 

*Loma  Parda, 750 

*Ocate, 75 

*Fort  Union, 50 

Guadalupita, 650 

Country    settlements, 1,550 

Total, 11,475 

In  the  County  of  Rio  Arriba  : 

Canada, 1,750 

*Rito, 1,100 

Chama, 1,100 

*Ojo  Caliente, 1,000 

*Tierra  Amarilla, 450 

*Abiquin, 1,050 

Chamita, 900 

*PLAZA  ALCALDE, 925 

Los  Luceros, 700 

La  Joya, 650 

*San  Juan, 350 

Cuchilla, 75 

Santa  Clara, 50 

Country  settlements, , 1,900 

Total, 12,000 


20 


BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


In  the  County  of  Santa  Ana 

Santo  Domingo , 

Jemez} 

Santa  Ana, 

San  Felipe, 

Cochiti, 

PER  A  BLANCA, , 

Algodones, 

*Majada,f 

Vallecito, 

Lia, 

Cubero, 

Jernez  Springs, 

Country  settlements,.... 


Total, 


1,000 
800 
500 
400 
400 
650 
500 
200 
150 
125 
100 
20 
350 


5,195 


f  The  town,  nowadays  frequently  called  Bajada,  the  Spanish  for  descent,  is 
at  the  western  base  of  a  high  mesa  upon  a  main  thoroughfare  which  there 
descends  to  the  valley.  It  is  properly  Majada,  the  Spanish  for  sheep  ranch,  a 
large  one  at  that  spot  one  hundred  years  ago  giving  the  place  its  name. 


In  the  County  of  Santa  Fe: 

*SANTA  FE, 6,500 

Chimayd, 1,500 

Agua  Fria, 700 

Galisteo, 650 

Las  Truchas, 650 

San  Ildefonzo, 570 

Tesuque, 400 

*Pojoaque, 440 

Cienega, 350 

Real  de  Dolores, 150 

Tesuque, 125 

Nambe, , 100 

Pueblo  Guemado, 100 

Pojoaque, , 20 

Country  settlements, 1,000 

Total,.... 13,355 


EXTENT,    POPULATION,    ETC. 


21 


In  the  County  of  San  Miguel: 

*LAS  VEGAS, 4,500 

"Anton  Chico, 1,300 

Tecolote, 1,200 

San  Miguel, 750 

*San  Jos6, 750 

^Puerto  de  Luna, 750 

La  Cuesta, 700 

Pecos, 500 

La  Junta, 500 

Chaperito, 750 

Liendre, 500 

Pueblo, 400 

*Santa  Rosa, 150 

Agua  Negra, 300 

Los  Valles, 300 

Las  Colonias,. 400 

Rincon  del  Tecolote, 175 

Las  Torres, 100 

Bernal, 100 

Guzano, 75 

Pecos, 000 

Hatch's, 75 

*Fort  Sumner, 250 

Country  settlements, 1,700 

Total, 16,175 

In  the  County  of  Bernalillo  : 

*A:LBURQUERQUE, 2,500 

Los  Ranches, 2,400 

^Bernalillo, 1,475 

Isleta, 1,200 

Manzano, 1,000 

Chilili, 700 

*Alameda, 700 

Tajique, 650 

Barelas, 400 

Torreon, 350 

Pajarito, 300 

Atrisco, , 250 

Sandia, 225 

Tijeras, 150 

Corrales, '. 700 

San  Antonio, 100 

Forward, 14,000 


22 


BKEVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


County  of  Bernalilo, — continued: 

Forward, 14,000 

San  Lorenzo, 1 00 

Padillas, 100 

San  Antonito, 50 

Tejon, 50 

Country  settlements, 100 

Total, 14,400 

In  the  County  of  Valencia: 

Zuffi, 1,500 

Laguna, 900 

*Belen, 750 

*Peralta, 700 

Cevolleta, 650 

Valencia, 600 

*Los  Lunas,.... 600 

Cubero, 550 

Acoma, 500 

*TOME, 350 

RioPuerco, 350 

Casa  Colorada, 325 

San  Mateo, 300 

La  Joya, 250 

Los  Enlames, 250 

Las  Lentes, 250 

Moquino, 150 

Carson  Mine, 60 

Country  settlements, 1,000 

Total, 10,035 

In  the  County  of  Lincoln  : 

Ruidoso, 500 

*Fort  Stanton, 50 

PLACITA, 1,500 

^Lincoln, 150 

Ashland, 500 

*Roswell, 200 

La  Junta, : 250 

Real  de  Icarilla, 100 

Country  settlements,.., 1,200 

Total, 4,450 


EXTENT,    POPULATION,    ETC. 


23 


In  the  County  of  Socorro  : 

*SOCORRO, 750 

*Limitar, 750 

*Parage, 700 

*Fort  Craig, 50 

Polvadera, 600 

San  Marcial, 1,000 

Sabinal, 500 

*San  Antonio, 250 

Alamosa, •. 200 

*Aleman, 20 

Don  Pedro, 100 

Silver  Mines, 300 

Country  settlements, 1,000 

Total, 6,220 

In  the  County  of  Grant  : 

*Pinos  Altos, 700 

*Fort  Cummings, 50 

*Mimbres, 200 

Rito, 150 

Central  City, 100 

*SILVER  CITY, 1,000 

Country  settlements, i 1,000 

Total, 3,200 

In  the  County  of  Dofia  Ana: 

*MESILLA, 2,500 

*LasCruces, 1,750 

*Dona  Ana, 700 

*Fort  Selden, 50 

Mesa, 600 

Tularosa, 500 

Picacho, : 300 

Santo  Tomas, 150 

Amoles, 100 

San  Augustin  Spring, 3J) 

Country  settlements, 750 

Total, 7,430 


24 


BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


RECAPITULATION. 


In  the  County  of  Taos, 

«  Colfax, 

"  Mora, 

«  Bio  Arriba,. 
«  Santa  Ana,... 
«  Santa  F6,.... 
"  San  Miguel,. 
"  Bernalillo,... 

"  Valencia, 

"   Lincoln, 

"  Socorro, 

"  Grant, 

"  Dona  Ana,.. 


Total  in  Territory,. 


13,025 

4,290 

11,475 

12,000 

5,195 

13,355 

16,175 

14,400 

10,035 

4,450 

6,220 

3,200 

7,430 

121,250 


CLIMATE  AND  HEALTH. 

The  general  elevation  of  the  country  extending  from  the 
Rio  Grande  to  the  Bio  Colorado  of  the  West,  averaging  as  it 
does  over  five  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and 
rising  at  several  points  to  over  twelve  thousand  feet,  ensures  for 
it  that  purity  of  atmosphere  and  coolness  which  characterize  all 
elevated  regions.  Another  important  feature  is  also  connected 
with  the  general  southerly  slope  of  the  whole  country,  which, 
while  it  serves  to  interrupt  and  weaken  the  force  of  the  cold 
northern  currents,  admits  the  warm  winds  from  the  south  to 
precipitate  their  moisture  on  the  higher  slopes  in  the  form  of 
summer  rains  and  winter  snows.  Hence,  we  have  in  these 
elevated  districts  a  climate  favoring  the  growth  of  trees,  a  more 
equable  distribution  of  rain  and  precipitation  of  dew  throughout 
the  year,  especially  adapted  to  the  production  of  nutritious 
grasses  and  the  cultivation  of  grain  without  resorting  to  irriga- 
tion. These  desirable  climatic  features  are  especially  noticeable 
along  the  elevated  slopes  of  San  Francisco  mountain  in  Arizona, 
where  magnificent  pine  forests  are  agreeably  interspersed  with 


CLIMATE    AND   HEALTH.  25 


beautiful  grassy  valleys  and  parks,  numerous  springs,  and  a 
delightfully  invigorating  atmosphere.  In  passing  south  along 
the  natural  course  of.  drainage,  we  encounter  at  lower  elevations, 
numerous  fertile  valleys,  interrupted  by  rocky  ridges  and  deep 
caiions,  where  the  climate  is  milder,  the  summer  heat  more 
intense,  and  the  severities  of  winter,  such  as  are  experienced 
within  short  distances  in  the  higher  elevations,  are  unknown. 
There  is,  however,  sufficient  rain  in  these  lower  districts  to 
support  a  rank  vegetation,  and  the  copious  water-courses  offer 
every  facility  needed,  in  the  way  of  irrigation,  to  mature  late- 
growing  crops.  These  sheltered  valleys  and  irregular  rocky 
slopes,  now  resorted  to  by  the  murderous  Apaches  for  hiding 
places,  will  offer  to  their  future  civilized  inhabitants  comfortable 
winter  quarters,  where  their  flocks  and  herds  can  be  safely 
sheltered  during  the  inclement  season,  and  kept  in  good  condi- 
tion till  the  higher  mountain  slopes  again  invite  them  to  their 
rich  summer  pasturage.  In  these  favorable  climatic  conditions, 
we  can  safely  determine  the  future  location  of  the  populous 
district  of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  which,  very  fortunately 
for  railroad  enterprise,  occupies  this  central  continental  position, 
where  extensive  virgin  forests,  rich  pastoral  and  agricultural 
lands,  are  nearly  connected  with  vast  undeveloped  mineral 
resources  to  complete  those  desirable  features,  that  will  invite 
and  retain  a  permanent  population. 

The  mildness  and  excellence  and  remarkable  salubrity  of  the 
climate  of  New  Mexico  has  become  proverbial.  The  dryness 
and  purity  of  the  atmosphere  all  over  the  Territory,  and  espe- 
cially in  the  valleys,  has  induced  many  invalids  afflicted  with 
pulmonary  and  other  diseases  to  test  its  salubrity,  with  great 
benefit  to  them  and  a  prolongation  of  their  lives. 

As  evidencing  the  remarkably  pure  and  even  temperature  of 
the  atmosphere  in  New  Mexico,  we  introduce  here  in  a  con- 
densed form  an  official  report  of  the  United  States  signal  service 
station  at  Santa  Fe,  for  the  year  ending  December  31,  1873. 

Monthly  mean  of  barometer — January, 29.77 

«  «  «  "  February, 29.73 

«  «  «  «  March, 29.73 

«  «  «  «  April, 29.72 

«  «  «  «  May, 29.85 

«  «  «  "  June, 29.88 

«  «  "  «  July, 29.92 


26                            BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

Monthly  mean  of  barometer  —  August,  

29.97 
29.91 
29.90 

29.83 
29.78 
29.83 

07° 
34° 
38° 
45° 
58° 
66° 
67° 
87° 
60° 
49° 
33° 
32° 
|49° 

.34 
.20 
.13 
.14 
.45 
2.44 
2.62 
2.98 
.27 
.25 
.01 
.04 
9.87 

was  88°; 
occurring 
L  twenty- 

limate  of 
would  be 
ports   are 

tt            "      "           "            September,  

tt            tt      n          tt            October,  

tt            it      tt          tt            November,  

tt            tt      tt          it            December 

Yearly        "      "           "             1873,  

Monthly  mean  of  thermometer  —  January  

tt             tt       n            n                February,  

tt            tt       *t            it                March,  

tt             tt        tt             tt                April    

tt            tt       tt            tt                Mav;. 

tt            tt       ti            if                June,  

"            "       "            "                Julv,.. 

tt            it       tt             «                 August,  

tt            tt       tt            tt                September,  

tt            tt       it            tt                October,  

tt            tt       a            it                November,  .... 

tt            tt       tt            tt                December,  

Yearly         "       "            "                1873,  

Monthly  rainfall  in  inches  —  January,  

«               tt        tt       n        February,  

tt               tt       tt       tt         March,  

tt               tt       tt       tt         April,  

tt              tt       tt       tt        May,          

a              tt       tt       it        June,  

a              tt       tt       tt         July,  

tt              it       it       a        August,  

tt              tt       tt      tt        September,  

tt              tt       tt       tt        October,  

tt              it        tt       it        November,  

tt              tt       it       tt        December,  

Yearly          "       "       "         1873,  

The  highest  observed  temperature  during  the  year 
the  lowest  5°  below  zero. 

The  greatest  single  rainfall  was  that  of  1.21  inch, 
on  June  4. 

The  wind  traveled  fifty  thousand  two  hundred  anc 
five  miles,  the  prevailing  direction  being  north. 

It  is  supposed  by  many  that,  owing  to  the  arid  c 
New  Mexico,  and  the  reported  small  rainfall,   water 
scarce.      Such  persons  should  remember  that  the  re 

CLIMATE   AND   HEALTH.  27 

generally  made  in  reference  to  the  valleys,  and  that  in  the 
mountain  ranges  there  are  during  the  winter  generally  heavy 
falls  of  snow,  which  supply  our  streams  with  an  abundance  of 
water  by  its  melting  during  the  spring  and  summer  months; 
besides  this,  there  are  numerous  springs  all  over  the  country,  many 
of  them  hot  and  impregnated  with  minerals,  and  many  of  them 
cold  springs.  Thus  we,  in  New  Mexico,  are  blessed  with  pure 
air  and  water,  both  essential  to  health,  and  with  the  Nile  of 
America  for  irrigation,  we  have  abundance  of  water  to  cultivate 
the  valleys  of  the  Bio  Grande  and  other  great  streams  and  their 
tributaries. 

On  the  subject  of  disease  in  New  Mexico,  we  quote  as  author- 
itative and  conclusive  from  a  published  letter  of  Doctor  Lew. 
Kennon,  now  of  Santa  Fe,  formerly  connected  with  the  United 
States  army  stationed  here,  and  who  has  resided  and  practiced 
for  more  than  twenty  years,  and  is  the  leading  physician  in  the 
Territory.  In  the  letter  referred  to,  writing  of  New  Mexico, 
he  says: 

*  #  *  "It  is  certain  that  even  when  the  lungs  were 
irreparably  diseased,  very  much  benefit  has  resulted.  Invalids 
have  come  here  with  the  system  falling  into  tubercular  ruin,  and 
their  lives  have  been  astonishingly  prolonged  by  the  dry,  bracing 
atmosphere. 

«  The  most  amazing  results,  however,  are  produced  in  ward- 
ing off  the  approaches  of  Phthisis,  and  I  am  sure  there  are  but 
few  cases  which  if  sent  here  before  the  malady  is  well  pro- 
nounced, would  fail  to  be  arrested.  Where  hardening  has 
occurred  or  even  considerable  cavities  been  established,  relief 
altogether  astonishing  takes  place. 

"The  lowest  death  rate  from  tubercular  disease  in  America  is  in 
New  Mexico.  The  censuses  of  1860  and  1870  give  25  per  cent, 
in  New  England,  14  in  Minnesota,  from  5  to  6  in  the  different 
southern  states,  and  3  per  cent,  in  New  Mexico. 

"I  have  never  known  a  case  of  bronchitis  brought  here  that 
was  not  vastly  improved  or  altogether  cured,  and  asthma  as  well. 

"Rheumatism  and  diseases  of  the  heart,  with  or  without  a 
rheumatic  origin,  do  badly  here.  Valvular  difficulty  in  that 
organ  is  invariably  made  worse.  But  the  most  astonishing 


BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


effect  of  this  climate  is  seen  in  those  cases  of  general  debility  of 
all  the  functions  of  body  and  mind— that  used  up  condition,  the 
pestilent  nuisance  of  physicians  in  the  great  cities.  People 
come  here  in  a  sort  of  debacle,  having  little  hope  of  living,  and 
often  little  desire- to,  and  the  relief  is  so  quick  as  to  seem  mirac- 
ulous. 

«  I  have  no  doubt  that  when  means  of  access  to  this  country 
are  better,  and  therefore  it  being  better  known,  it  will  rival  or 
supersede  Florida,  Madeira,  Nice  or  Dr.  Bennett's  much  vaunted 
paradise  of  Mentone,  as  a  sanitarium.  The  country  is  far  distant 
from  either  ocean ;  it  is  utterly  free  from  all  causes  of  disease. 
The  atmosphere  is  almost  as  dry  as  that  of  Egypt.  The  winters 
are  so  mild  that  there  are  not  ten  days  in  the  whole  year  an  inva- 

m 

lid  cannot  take  exercise  in  the  open  air.  The  summers  are  so 
cool  that  in  midsummer  one  or  two  blankets  are  necessary  to 
sleep  under.  The  whole  territory  has  been  always  astonishingly 
free  from  epidemic  disease. 

"  For  weak  or  broken-down  children  there  is  surely  nothing 
like  it  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  With  them  the  law  of  survival 
of  the  strongest,  here  seems  not  to  obtain  at  all." 

Concerning  the  climate  and  salubrity  of  New  Mexico,  Dr. 
F.  V.  Hayden,  who  as  an  observer  and  an  authority,  is  preem- 
inent, says  in  his  published  report  for  1870: 

"  In  order  to  understand  properly  the  differences  in  climate 
and  productions  observable  in  the  different  parts  of  this  section, 
it  is  necessary,  not  only  to  take  into  consideration  the  latitude, 
but  also  the  variations  in  altitude,  and  proximity  to  high  moun- 
tains. Beginning  at  the  San  Luis  valley  in  Colorado,  with  an 
elevation  of  7,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  we  find  when 
we  reach  Santa  Fe  in  New  Mexico,  the  height  is  still  8,640  feet, 
which  is  higher  than  some  of  the  valleys  further  north.  Keep- 
ing on  the  same  plateau,  and  moving  south,  the  elevations  of  the 
principal  points  are  as  follows:  Galisteo  village,  6,165;  Los  Cer- 
rillos,  5,804;  Canon  Blanco,  6,320,  and  a  little  southwest  of  the 
canon  near  Laguna  Blanca,  6,943  feet.  Moving  southwest  from 
this  point  towards  Alburquerque,  we  find  the  elevation  at  San 
Antonio  is  6,408  feet.  But  when  we  descend  into  the  immediate 
valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  as  far  north  as  Pefia  Blanca,  it  is  only 
5,288  feet  above  the  sea  level>  or  1,552  lower  than  at  Santa  Fe. 
At  San  Felipe  it  is  5,220;  at  Alburquerque,  5,026;  at  Isleta, 


CLIMATE   AND    HEALTH  29 


4,910;  at  Socorro,  4,560;  at  Alamosa,  4,200,  and  at  El  Paso  about 
3,800.  Strange  as  it  may  appear,  when  we  cross  the  ridge  east 
of  Santa  Fe,  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Pecos,  we  find  the  altitude 
of  Pecos  village  but  6,300  feet — about  500  feet  lower  than  at 
Santa  Fe;  while  at  Anton  Chico  it  is  only  5,372  feet,  correspond- 
ing very  nearly  with  that  of  the  Rio  Grande  valley  at  Pena 
Blanca. 

I  have  given  these  particulars  in  regard  to  the  elevation  of 
this  region  to  show  that,  sweeping  around  the  southern  terminus 
of  the  Rocky  Mountain  range,  is  an  elevated  plateau,  or  extended 
mesa,  which  reaching  north  along  the  inside  of  the  basin  for 
some  distance,  occupies  both  sides  of  the  river,  but  southward 
recedes  from  it.  At  Pena  Blanca  we  descend  into  the  Rio  Grande 
Valley  proper,  which  continues  along  the  southern  course  of  the 
river,  with  little  interruption  throughout  the  rest  of  the  territory. 
From  this  point  south,  fruits  and  tenderer  vegetables  and  plants 
are  grown  with  ease,  which  fail  no  farther  north  than  Santa  Fe. 

.  As  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico  includes  within  its  bounds 
some  portion  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  range  on  which  snow 
remains  for  a  great  part  of  the  year,  and  also  a  semi-tropical 
region  along  its  southern  boundary,  there  is,  of  necessity,  a  wide 
difference  in  the  extremes  of  temperature.  But  with  the 
exception  of  the  cold  seasons  of  the  higher  lands  at  the  north, 
it  is  temperate  and  regular.  The  summer  days  in  the  lower 
valleys  are  sometimes  quite  warm,  but  as  the  dry  atmosphere 
rapidly  absorbs  the  perspiration  of  the  body,  it  prevents  the 
debilitating  effect  experienced  where  the  air  is  heavier  and 
more  saturated  with  moisture.  The  nights  are  cool  and  refresh- 
ing. The  winters,  except  in  the  mountainous  portions  at  the 
north,  are  moderate,  but  the  difference  between  the  northern 
and  southern  sections  during  this  season  is  greater  than  during 
the  summer.  The  amount  of  snow  that  falls  is  light,  and 
seldom  remains  on  the  ground  longer  than  a  few  hours.  The 
rains  principally  fall  during  the  months  of  July,  August,  and 
sometimes  September,  but  the  annual  amount  is  small,  seldom 
exceeding  a  few  inches.  When  there  are  heavy  snows  in 
the  mountains  during  the  winter,  there  will  be  good  crops  the 
following  summer,  the  supply  of  water  being  more  abundant, 
and  the  quantity  of  sediment  carried  down  greater  than  when 

the  snows  are  light.     During  the  autumn  months  the  wind  is 


30  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

disagreeable  in  some  places,  especially  near  the  openings  between 
high  ridges,  and  at  the  termini  of  or  passes  through  mountain 
ranges.  There  is,  perhaps,  no  healthier  section  of  country  to  be 
found  in  the  United  States  than  that  embraced  in  the  boundaries 
of  Colorado  and  New  Mexico.  In  fact,  I  think  I  am  justified  in 
saying  that  this  area  includes  the  healthiest  portion  of  the 
Union.  Perhaps  it  is  not  improper  for  me  to  say  that  I  have  no 
personal  ends  to  serve  in  making  this  statement,  not  having 
one  dollar  invested  in  either  of  these  Territories  in  any  way 
whatever.  I  make  it  simply  because  I  believe  it  to  be  true.  Nor 
would  I  wish  to  be  understood  as  contrasting  with  other  sections 
of  the  Rocky  Mountain  region,  only  so  far  as  these  Territories 
have  the  advantage  in  temperature.  It  is  possible  Arizona 
should  be  included,  but  as  I  have  not  visited  it  I  cannot  speak 
of  it.  There  is  no  better  place  of  resort  for  those  suffering  with 
pulmonary  complaints  than  here.  It  is  time  for  the  health 
seekers  of  our  country  to  learn  and  appreciate  the  fact  that 
within  our  own  bounds  are  to  be  found  all  the  elements  of  health 
that  can  possibly  be  obtained  by  a  tour  to  the  eastern  continent, 
or  any  other  part  of  the  world.  And  that,  in  addition  to  the 
invigorating  air,  is  scenery  as  wild,  grand,  and  varied  as  any 
found  amid  the  Alpine  hights  of  Switzerland.  And  here  too, 
from  Middle  Park  to  Las  Vegas,  is  a  succession  of  mineral  and 
hot  springs  of  almost  every  character." 

The  geologist  and  naturalist  connected  with  the  survey  across 
the  continent  for  railroad  routes,  made  in  1868,  speaking  in  his 
official  report  of  the  selected  route  across  New  Mexico  for  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  railroad,  says  of  the  country: 

"  A  salubrious  climate  favorable  to  health  and  activity,  acces- 
sible to  the  moist  southerly  currents,  while  at  the  same  time 
protected  from  the  severe  northern  blasts,  receiving  along  the 
higher  elevations  precipitation  of  rain  and  snow  sufficient  to 
favor  the  growth  of  natural  forests  and  upland  grasses,  without 
forming  any  obstruction  to  winter  travel. 

A  pleasant  variety  of  atmospheric  temperature,  connected 
with  differences  ot  elevation  or  exposure  in  closely  adjoining 
districts,  which  can  be  selected  to  suit  the  requirements  of  the 
season,  or  the  particular  taste  of  individuals. 


CLIMATE   AND   HEALTH.  31 

An  agricultural  capacity  that  in  its  proper  development  can 
be  made  ample  to  supply  the  prospective  wants  of  this  region, 
and  in  the  production  of  fruits  and  garden  vegetables,  can  aiford 
the  delicacies  that  enter  into  the  essential  wants  of  civilized 
communities. 

A  pastoral  region  unequaled  in  the  extent  or  quality  of  its 
grasses,  which,  in  adjoining  districts,  keeps  up  aconstant  supply 
of  nutritious  fodder  through  the  year,  requiring  only  the  light 
labor  of  herding  to  secure  the  remunerative  returns  of  this 
branch  of  industry. 

A  mining  region  yet  undeveloped  but  sufficiently  known  to 
be  characterized  as  second  to  none  on  the  continent  in  the  extent 
and  variety  of  its  mineral  products,  only  waiting  for  the  facilities 
of  railroad  transportation  to  invite  and  retain  permanent  capital 
arid  industrious  labor. 

A  location  of  route  which  presents  the  special  advantages  of 
a  main  trunk  line  in  being  naturally  connected  with  adjoining 
rich  districts  that  will  thus  seek  an  outlet  by  branch  roads  to 
central  commercial  points. 

All  these  several  conditions  combine  to  present  those  habi- 
table features  which  render  the  construction  of  a  continuous 
railroad  route  not  only  highly  desirable,  but  as  a  matter  of 
speedy  development,  essentially  necessary. 

The  experience  of  our  engineer  parties  has  covered,  in  going 
and  returning,  nearly  every  season  of  the  year,  giving  us  a  large 
amount  of  exact  information  on  this  subject;  and  we  have, 
besides,  the  results  of  the  experience  of -previous  explorers,  who 
have  traversed  the  route,  or  a  portion  of  it,  in  different  years. 
Altogether,  these  observations  cover  such  an  extended  period, 
that  we  may  say  there  is  very  little  to  learn  about  the  climate 
of  this  route,  as  it  may  affect  railroad  construction  or  travel,  or 
the  adaptation  of  the  country  to  settlement.  Although  a  vast 
new  region,  inhabited  for  the  most  part  solely  by  Indians  and 
game,  we  have  such  a  mass  of  information  on  this  subject,  in- 
cluding the  records  of  the  military  posts,  that  we  can  feel  entirely 
confident  of  the  practical  deductions  that  may  be  made  from 
this  data. 


BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


The  route  throughout  is  singularly  favored  in  the  matter  of 
climate.  The  people  of  the  eastern  half  of  our  continent  have 
scarcely  a  conception  of  the  physical  pleasure  of  mere  existence 
in  the  pure  air  and  fine  weather  of  this  elevated  southern  plateau. 
For  healthfulnesSj  it  is  conceded  to  have  no  superior.  In  our 
engineer  parties,  numbering  with  attaches,  some  150  young 
men,  and  exposed  to  numerous  hardships,  there  was  not,  either 
going  or  returning,  a  single  case  of  real  sickness,  and  all  came 
home  much  heartier  and  more  robust  than  when  they  started. 
This  covered  also  a  winter  in  the  mountain  regions  of  Arizona. 
Our  experience,  in  this  respect,  agrees  with  that  of  Beale,  who 
says:  'During  the  entire  winter  (of  1858-9)  my  men  were 
exposed  night  and  day  to  the  open  atmosphere — some  not  using 
for  the  whole  journey  their  tents,  and  others  but  very  rarely, 
yet  not  one  of  them  had  occasion  to  complain  of  the  slightest 
sickness  during  the  journey.'  " 

The  observations  taken  by  Dr.  Parry,  and  the  records  which 
he  obtained  from  the  various  government  posts,  show  a  remark- 
able uniformity  of  temperature  throughout  most  of  the  route. 

«  For  railroad  purposes,  the  climate  is  unexceptionable.  I  am 
satisfied  that  on  no  portion  of  the  line  will  there  be  any  greater 
liability  to  interruption  of  trains  from  snow  or  other  winter 
obstacles,  than  there  is,  for  instance,  on  the  Pennsylvania 
Central  Railroad. 

Personally,  I  passed  over  the  entire  mountain  country  west 
of  the  Bio  Grande — including  the  Sierre  Madre,  two  crossings 
of  the  San  Francisco  mountains  (highest  summit  on  the  line,) 
and  the  Sierra  Nevada — in  the  winter  season,  from  the  middle 
of  October,  1867,  to  the  middle  of  February,  1868,  without 
encountering  but  one  snow  storm,  or  seeing  any  snow  lying  on 
the  ground,  except  on  one  point.  This  was  a  fall  of  two  inches, 
at  Fort  Wingate,  New  Mexico,  which  had  disappeared  from  the 
summit  of  the  Sierra  Madre  by  noon  of  the  following  day. 
During  this  period  the  days  were  uniformly  mild  and.pleasant, 
and,  although  the  nights  were  sometimes  cold,  I  rarely  used  a 
tent  on  the  journey. 

Our  wagon  trains  made  this  long  winter  march  through  the 
mountains  without  difficulty,  the  mules  and  the  herd  of  beef 


CLIMATE   AND    HEALTH.  33 

cattle,  which  was  driven  along  from  the  Bio  Grande  nearly  to 
the  Colorado,  finding  an  abundance  of  grama  and  bunch  grass 
even  on  the  highest  summits. 

Our  party,  on  the  return  survey,  encountered  several  storms 
of  snow  in  Arizona  and  Western  New  Mexico,  but  it  melted 
rapidly,  and  did  not  prevent  the  animals  from  thriving  on  the 
constant  good  grass. 

But  little  snow  falls  east  of  the  Sierre  Madre.  On  the  summit 
of  that  range,  at  Navajo  Pass  (7,177  feet,)  there  was  no  snow 
early  in  November,  1867,  when  our  parties  crossed  it.  There 
had  been,  on  October  31,  a  fall  of  two  inches,  which  disappeared 
the  next  day.  Whipple  met  none  there  late  in  November, 
1853.  Chavez  met  a  very  little  in  crossing  this  range  December 
21,  1863,  but  it  was  thawing  December  25.  Our  return  party, 
under  Mr.  Holbrook,  encountered  a  severe  snow  storm  on  the 
5th  of  May,  at  Agua  Fria,  in  this  range,  but  it  only  lasted  two 
hours,  and  melted  almost  immediately.  Navajo  Pass  is  a  broad, 
smooth  plateau,  from  three  to  ten  miles  wide,  which  would  not 
give  trouble,  even  if  considerable  snow  should  fall,  which  is  not 
the  case.  There  may  be  very  rarely  a  fall  as  deep  as  eighteen 
inches,  but  it  melts  rapidly.  At  Fort  Wingate,  the  yearly  mean 
temperature,  from  1863  to  1866,  inclusive,  was  52°. 

At  the  city  of  Santa  F6,  twenty  miles  north  of  the  railway 
survey  line,  the  heaviest  snowfalls  they  have  do  not  exceed 
fifteen  inches,  and  these  are  very  rare,  and  in  all  cases  the  snow 
disappears  rapidly,  sleighing  never  lasting  more  than  two  or 
three  days  at  a  time.  In  the  valley  of  the  Bio  Grande,  at  Aibur- 
querque,  scow  very  seldom  falls;  and  at  Mesilla  winter  is 
scarcely  known,  figs  beiig  cultivated  with  great  success. 


34  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


MOUNTAINS,    STREAMS,  Etc. 

The  one  hundred  and  twenty-one  thousand  two  hundred 
square  miles,  or  nearly  seventy-seven  and  a  half  millions  of 
acres  of  land  in  New  Mexico,  are  drained  by  innumerable  rivers 
and  creeks,  some  of  the  principal  of  which  are  the  Rio  Grande 
del  Norte,  flowing  centrally  from  north  to  south  through  the 
Territory,  the  San  Juan,  the  Chama,  the  Canadian,  the  Cafiada 
or  Santa  Cruz,  the  Picuris,  the  Pojoaque,  the  Tesuque,  the  Santa 
F6,  the  Galisteo,  the  San  Cristoval,  the  Colorado,  the  Arroyo 
Hondo,  the  Taos,  the  Lucero,  the  Pueblo,  the  Pinos,  the  Ojo 
Caliente,  the  Jemez,  the  San  Jose,  the  Puerco,  the  Gallo,  the 
Alamoso,  the  Gila,  the  Mimbres,  the  Pecos,  the  Bonito,  the 
Hondo,  the  Buidoso,  the  Gallinas,  the  Concho,  the  Mora,  the 
Cimarron,  the  Vermejo,  the  Sapello,  the  Peiiasco,  the  Chamizal, 
the  Tecolote,  the  Agua  Azul,  the  Ocate,  the  Nutrias,  the  Navajo, 
the  Bito  Blanco,  the  Piedras,  the  Florido,  the  Animas,  the  Plata, 
the  Colorado  Chiquito,  the  Zuni,  the  Seven  Bivers,  the  Penasco, 
the  Agua  Negra,  and  numbers  of  smaller  mountain  streams  of 
more  or  less  volume. 

From  the  Bio  Grande  to  the  Colorado  of  the  West  the  whole 
country  presents  the  character  of  a  vast  upland,  crossed  by  a 
succession  of  mountain  ridges,  and  basin  shaped  valleys,  inter- 
rupted by  the  product  of  recent  volcanic  eruptions  in  the  form 
of  extinct  craters,  cones,  and  streams  of  lava,  which  have  over- 
flowed and  buried  up  the  lower  sedimentary  rocks.  The  prin- 
cipal mountain  axes  exhibit  a  granite  nucleus,  which,  at  certain 
points,  is  exposed  to  view  in  irregular  mountain  ranges,  trend- 
ing northwest  and  southeast,  and  constituting  the  general 
frame-work  of  the  country,  as  exhibited  in  the  Sierra  Madre, 
the  Mogoyon  Bange  and  the  Pinalefio  Mountains  of  Central 
Arizona.  Intermediate  to  these  is  the  great  table-land  or  mesa 
formation  of  Western  New  Mexico  and  Eastern  Arizona, 
comprising  the  sedimentary  strata  of  triassic  and  cretaceous 
rocks,  which  spread  out  into  broad  uplands,  abruptly  termi- 
nated by  steep  mural  declivities,  bounding  valleys  of  erosion, 
or  presenting  isolated  buttes  and  fantastically  castellated  rocks, 
that  serve  to  give  a  peculiar  aspect  to  the  scenery.  The  prin- 
cipal foci  of  extinct  volcanic  action  are  represented  by  the  ele- 


MOUNTAINS,     STREAMS,    ETC.  35 

vated  cones  of  San  Mateo  and  San  Francisco,  attaining  an 
elevation  of  over  12,000  feet  above  the  sea,  whose  alpine 
slopes,  reaching  above  the  timber  line,  present  in  their  cover- 
ing of  snow  the  only  wintry  feature  pertaining  to  this  latitude. 

It  is  in  the  eastern  section  of  this  district,  New  Mexico,  that 
we  meet  with  the  most  populous  and  flourishing  of  the  inter- 
esting tribes  known  as  Pueblo  Indians;  here  they  secure  not  only 
defensive  positions  for  their  towns  on  the  tabled  summits  of  iso- 
lated hills,  but  also  fertile  valleys  adjoining,  suited  to  their  rude 
agriculture,  and  a  wild  scope  of  grazing  country,  limited  only 
by  the  necessity  of  protection  from  the  thievish  and  roving 
Navajo  and  Apache. 

What  is  known  as  the  Navajo  country,  extending  still  fur- 
ther to  the  west  and  north,  comprises  a  similar  character  of 
broken  country,  with  fertile  valleys,  grassy  slopes,  and  deeply 
sheltered  cafions,  especially  adapted  to  their  mode  of  life  as 
nomadic  and  at  the  same  time  partially  agricultural;  still  better 
suited,  however,  to  the  wants  of  an  energetic  civilized  com- 
munity, who  can  properly  appreciate  the  advantages  of  a 
healthful  climate,  combined  with  a  useful  variety  of  soil,  and 
that  picturesque  beauty  of  scenery  which  adds  such  a  charm  to 
rural  life. 

The  district  of  the  Bio  Grande,  so  termed  for  convenience 
in  describing  the  country,  although  chiefly  confined  within  the 
bounds  of  New  Mexico,  penetrates  into  the  southern  portion  of 
Colorado.  Beginning  at  Punche  Pass,  about  38°  30'  north  lati- 
tude, it  extends  southward  to  the  southern  boundary  of  the 
Territory,  and  is  about  five  hundred  miles  long.  As  far  south 
as  Santa  F6  its  width  is  tolerably  uniform,  averaging  very  near 
one  hundred  miles,  but  here  it  begins  to  expand  rapidly  on  the 
eastern  side,  to  embrace  the  area  drained  by  the  Pecos,  termi- 
nating in  this  direction  in  the  Llano  Estacado  or  "Staked  Plain." 
Excluding  the  Staked  Plain  from  our  calculation,  the  entire  area 
of  this  district  amounts  to  about  seventy  thousand  square  miles, 
about  five  thousand  five  hundred  of  which  belong  to  Colorado, 
according  to  the  old  boundary  line. 

The  district  may  conveniently  be  divided  into  three  sections, 
corresponding  with  the  natural  aspect  of  the  country:  First,  the 
San  Luis  Valley  (sometimes  called  the  San  Luis  Park,)  which 


36  BREVOOKT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

constitutes  that  portion  of  the  district  which  lies  north  of  the 
point  where  the  Bio  de  Taos  enters  into  the  Bio  Grande;  second, 
the  central  portion  of  the  Territory,  including  the  Bio  Grande 
Valley  proper  and  the  tributary  valleys  leading  into  it  between 
the  southern  rim  of  the  San  Luis  Valley  and  the  southern 
boundary  of  the  Territory;  third,  the  Pecos  Valley,  which, 
beginning  east  of  the  mountains,  about  opposite  Santa  F£,  runs 
a  little  east  of  south  to  the  Texas  line,  and  includes  only  the 
area  drained  by  the  Pecos  Biver. 

This  district  embraces  nearly  two-thirds  of  New  Mexico, 
leaving  a  strip  along  the  western  boundary  varying  from  fifty  to 
one  hundred  miles  in  width,  and  drained  by  the  tributaries  of 
the  Colorado  and  Gila  rivers,  and  a  triangular  area  in  the  north- 
east corner  drained  by  the  Canadian  river.  It  embraces  the 
central,  and,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  valleys,  the  most  pro- 
ductive portion  of  the  Territory;  and,  although  much  of  it  is 
occupied  by  broken  ranges  of  mountains  and  elevated  mesas^ 
yet  there  is  a  large  portion  which  can  be  irrigated  by  the  streams 
that  traverse  it,  and  a  still  larger  ratio  which  affords  rich  pas- 
turage for  sheep  and  cattle.  Here  also  can  be  found  every 
variety  of  climate,  from  the  cold  of  the  mountain  region  along 
its  northern  rim,  to  the  tropical  valleys  of  its  southern  border. 

The  length  of  the  Bio  Grande  valley  from  north  to  south, 
counting  from  the  mouth  of  the  Bio  de  Taos  to  the  Mexican 
line,  is  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  with  an  average 
width  of  one  hundred  and  ten  miles.  It  is  difficult  to  estimate, 
even  with  approximate  accuracy,  the  amount  of  arable  land  in 
this  area,  as,  with  the  exception  of  the  comparatively  narrow 
valley  proper  of  the  Bio  Grande,  it  lies  in  small,  irregular  valleys 
and  detached  spots.  And,  in  addition  to  this  difficulty,  great 
diversity  of  opinion  exists  in  regard  to  the  average  width  of  this 
valley,  varying  from  two  to  twenty  miles.  Yet  this  difference 
is  not  wholly  due  to  error  in  either  party,  as  the  term  "  valley  " 
is  used  in  different  senses,  some  meaning  thereby  only  the  bot- 
toms immediately  along  the  river,  while  others  include  the 
lower  terraces  which  at  some  points  flank  the  bottoms.  Perhaps 
the  best  data  we  have  upon  which  to  base  an  estimate  is  to  be 
found  in  the  report  of  Lieutenant  Whipple,  who,  after  a  careful 
examination,  estimates  the  cultivable  area  of  a  belt  thirty  miles 
wide,  and  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  long,  east  and  west — 


MOUNTAINS,     STREAMS,    ETC.  37 

reaching  from  Anton  Chico  to  Campbell's  Pass — at  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty  square  miles,  or  one-fifteenth  of  the  whole  area. 
As  this  belt  reaches  directly  across  the  entire  width  of  the  sec- 
tion under  consideration,  it  may  be  taken  as  an  average  of  the 
whole;  for,  although  it  includes  the  valley  of  the  San  Jose"  on 
the  west,  the  east  end  stretches  over  the  broad  Mesa  de  la  Vista 
almost  from  Anton  Chico  to  San  Antonio.  This  proportion 
would  give  for  the  section  nearly  two  thousand  six  hundred 
square  miles  of  tillable  land,  which  may  be  increased  by  the 
proper  husbanding  of  water. 

In  order  to  understand  properly  the  differences  in  climate 
and  productions  observable  in  the  different  parts  of  this  section, 
it  is  necessary,  not  only  to  take  into  consideration  the  latitude, 
but  also  the  variations  in  altitude,  and  proximity  to  high  moun- , 
tains.  Beginning  at  the  San  Luis  Valley  in  Colorado,  with  an 
elevation  of  7,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  we  find  when 
we  reach  Santa  Fe",  in  New  Mexico,  the  height  is  still  0,840  feet, 
which  is  higher  than  some  of  the  valleys  further  north.  Keep- 
ing on  the  same  plateau,  and  moving  south,  the  elevations  of 
the  principal  points  are  as  follows:  Galisteo,  6,165;  Los  Cerillos, 
5,804;  Canon  Blanco,  6,320,  and  a  little  southwest  of  the  cation, 
near  Laguna  Blanca,  6,943  feet.  Moving  southwest  from  this 
point  toward  Alburquerque,  we  find  the  elevation  at  San 
Antonio  is  6,408  feet,  But  when  we  descend  into  the  imme- 
diate valley  of  the  Bio  Grande,  as  far  north  as  Pefia  Blanca,  it 
is  only  5,288  feet  above  the  sea  level,  or  1,552  lower  than  at 
Santa  Fe.  At  San  Felipe  it  is  5,220;  at  Alburquerque,  5,026; 
at  Isleta,  4,910;  at  Socorro,  4,560;  at  Alamosa,  4,200,  and  at  El 
Paso  about  3,800.  Strange  as  it  may  appear,  when  we  cross  the 
ridge  east  of  Santa  Fe,  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Pecos,  we  find 
the  altitude  at  Pecos  Village  but  6,360  feet — about  500  feet 
lower  than  at  Santa  Fe;  while  at  Anton  Chico  it  is  only  o,o72 
feet,  corresponding  very  nearly  with  that  of  the  Rio  Grande 
valley  at  Pefia  Blanca. 

These  particulars  in  regard  to  the  elevation  of  this  region 
show  that,  sweeping  around  the  southern  terminus  of  the  Rocky 
Mountain  range,  is  an  elevated  plateau,  or  extended  mesa, 
which,  reaching  north  along  the  inside  of  the  basin  for  some 
distance,  occupies  both  sides  of  the  river,  but  southward  recedes 
from  it.  At  Pena  Blanca  we  descend  into  the  Rio  Grande 


38  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

Valley  proper,  which  continues  along  the  southern  course  of 
the  river  with  little  interruption  throughout  the  rest  of  the 
Territory.  From  this  point  south,  fruits  and  the  tenderer  vege- 
tables and  plants  are  grown  with  ease,  which  fall  no  farther 
north  than  Santa  Fe. 

But  the  difference  in  altitude  is  not  the  only  influence  tend- 
ing to  vary  the  temperature  and  vegetation  between  the  north- 
ern and  southern  parts  of  the  section,  for  about  opposite  the 
point  where  this  lower  level  begins,  the  mountain  range  on  the 
east  terminates,  and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  the  depression  of 
temperature  and  the  cold  of  the  nights,  so  far  as  caused  by  the 
proximity  of  snowy  peaks  and  icy  waters,  also  ceases. 

From  the  region  of  the  Galisteo  south  the  features  of  the 
country  change;  instead  of  the  vast  and  lofty  ranges  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  a  succession  of  shorter,  narrower,  and  less 
lofty  mountains,  forming  a  chain  which  runs  directly  north  and 
south  a  short  distance  east  of  the  river  and  almost  parallel  with 
it;  and  what  is  somewhat  remarkable,  instead  of  corresponding 
with  the  range  east  of  the  San  Luis  Valley,  this  chain  runs 
almost  directly  in  a  line  with  the  bottom  of  the  valley.  While 
the  mountains  have  thus  diminished,  on  the  other  hand  the 
miniature  table  lands  of  the  regions  farther  north  are  here 
replaced  by  vast  plateaus  which  spread  over  the  country,  form- 
ing its  general  level,  out  of  which  are  scooped  the  valleys  and 
basins. 

On  the  east  side  of  the  Bio  Grande,  between  the  Taos  Val- 
ley and  Joya,  the  country  is  broken  and  mountainous,  mostly 
covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  timber,  chiefly  pine  and  fir. 
This  area  is  traversed  east  and  west  by  a  few  small  streams, 
which  are  bordered  by  narrow  strips  of  cultivable  lands.  The 
three  principal  ones  are  the  Penasco,  Pueblo,  and  Chamizal; 
the  first  being  a  vigorous  creek  which  traverses  a  valley  vary- 
ing in  width  from  one  to  five  miles,  which  is  flanked  on  each 
side  by  high  bluffs.  A  good  part  of  it  is  already  under  culti- 
vation, and,  as  the  soil  is  fertile  and  the  valley  sheltered,  the 
crops  produced  are  quite  heavy.  The  other  two  are  smaller 
and  less  important  than  the  Pefiasco. 

Between  this  broken  region  and  the  Rio  de  la  CafLada  or 
Santa  Cruz,  on  the  south,  lying  along  the  Rio  Grande,  is  a  mod- 


MOUNTAINS,    STREAMS,    ETC.  39 


erate  breadth  of  arable  land,  some  of  which  is  very  fertile,  and 
produces  not  only  the  hardier  cereals,  as  wheat,  oats,  and  barley, 
but  also  corn,  which  grows  large  and  fine.  The  tillable  area 
here  could  be  considerably  enlarged  by  irrigation  from  the  Rio 
Grande. 

The  Bio  de  Santa  Fe,  Bio  Galisteo,  and  Tuerto  Creek  afford 
strips  of  arable  land,  varying  in  width  from  one  to  ten  miles; 
but  here  also  the  amount  might  be  increased  by  proper  efforts 
and  more  extensive  acequias. 

The  valley  of  the  Bio  Puerco  is  flanked  by  elevated  table 
lands,  and  its  lower  portion  is  not  supplied  with  living  water 
but  a  part  of  the  year;  but  its  principal  tributary,  the  San  Jose, 
runs  through  a  fine,  wide  valley,  in  which  there  is  a  consider- 
able amount  of  cultivated  land  and  a  number  of  villages,  the 
breadth  available  for  agricultural  purposes  being  equal  to  the 
capacity  of  the  stream. 

At  Santo  Domingo  the  valley  of  the  Bio  Grande  is  quite 
narrow,  and  continues  so  for  about  six  miles  below  San  Felipe, 
where  it  again  widens  to  six  or  seven  miles,  the  soil  being  quite 
sandy.  At  Bernalillo  it  is  of  considerable  breadth,  but  grows 
narrow  in  the  vicinity  of  Zandia,  again  expanding  and  affording 
a  tolerable  broad  area  at  Alameda.  From  Alameda  to  a  point 
some  distance  below  Isleta,  there  is  a  moderate  width  of  good 
bottom  land.  Contracting  near  Peralta,  it  widens  again  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Tome  with  improved  soil,  the  belt  continuing 
with  very  little  interruption  to  the  bend  of  the  Bio  Grande, 
below  the  mouth  of  the  Puerco,  where  the  bordering  hills  close 
in  upon  it,  reducing  it  to  about  one  mile.  At  Socorro  there  is 
a  medium  belt,  which  expands  southward,  presenting  a  very 
fine  agricultural  section,  which  is  interrupted  in  the  vicinity  of 
of  Fra  Cristobal  mountains.  Between  San  Antonio  and  Dona 
Ana  are  some  of  the  finest  portions  of  the  whole  valley,  oppo- 
site which  on  the  east  side  stretch  the  sandy  wastes  of  the 
dreaded  Jornada  del  Muerto.  Near  Mesilla  and  Dona  Ana  are 
also  some  fine  openings,  which  are  partially  cultivated. 

The  volume  of  water  sent  down  by  this  river  is  sufficient  to 
irrigate  an  immense  area  of  land.  At  Tome,  Lieutenant  Emory 
found  by  measurement  the  entire  volume,  including  two  ace- 
quias, to  be  equal  to  a  width  of  ninety-three  feet  and  depth  of 


40  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

two  feet,  or  the  area  of  a  transverse  section,  one  hundred  and 
eighty-six  square  feet.  The  rate  of  fall  between  Pena  Blanca 
and  Isleta  is  nearly  six  feet  to  the  mile. 

As  a  general  thing  the  soil  along  the  Bio  Grande  is  quite 
sandy,  but  when  well  watered  proves  to  be  very  fertile;  and, 
although  seemingly  adapted  to  the  growth  of  wheat,  this  cereal 
does  not  prove  as  productive  here  as  farther  north.  Indian  corn 
grows  finely,  and  when  the  better  varieties  are  introduced  and 
cultivated,  large  and  remunerative  crops  may  be  raised.  Here 
is  to  be  found  one  of  the  finest  grape-growing  sections  in  the  Union, 
its  only  rivals  being  the  valleys  of  California,  All  the  usual 
varieties  of  fruit  can  be  raised  in  abundance  and  with  great 
ease.  Melons,  pumpkins,  frijoles,  and  in  the  southern  extrem- 
ity, cotton,  can  be  produced.  In  the  greater  part  of  this  valley 
two  crops  of  cereals  can  be  raised  in  one  season. 

The  valley  of  the  Pecos  river  is  one  of  erosion,  worn  out  of 
the  broad  plateau  of  this  region,  and  presenting,  north  of  the 
Guadalupe  mountains,  the  appearance  of  one  vast  arroyo.  Its 
tributaries  are  few,  and,  with  the  exception  of  two  or  three,  of 
but  little  importance  in  an  agricultural  point  of  view. 

The  Galiinas  river  and  its  tributaries  afford  narrow  belts  of 
fertile  soil,  the  area  being  equal  to  the  supply  of  water.  Around 
Las  Vegas  a  considerable  breadth  is  under  cultivation,  corn 
being  the  chief  crop.  The  Pecos,  to  its  junction  with  the  Gal- 
Unas,  runs  through  a  very  narrow  valley,  which  has  been  cor- 
rectly described  as  "  ribbon-like,"  a  few  bay-like  expansions 
forming  the  only  exceptions,  as  at  San  Miguel.  The  valley 
bottom  throughout  this  distance  is  generally  flanked  by  high 
bluffs,  which  sometimes,  as  in  the  neighborhood  of  La  Cuesto, 
reach  an  altitude  of  five  hundred  feet.  Lieutenant  Whipple, 
whose  line  of  survey  crossed  at  Anton  Chico,  estimates  the 
cultivable  land  in  a  belt  thirty  miles  wide  and  reaching  directly 
across  this  section,  from  Pajarito  creek  to  Anton  Chico,  at  one- 
thirtieth  of  the  area  embraced.  In  the  neighborhood  of  Fort 
Sumner  there  is  a  considerable  breadth  of  fertile  land  which 
can  be  irrigated,  and  which  is  well  adapted  to  the  growth  of 
fruits  and  grapes.  Along  the  headwaters  of  the  Bio  Bonito 
there  are  some  fertile  spots,  where  not  only  fine  crops  of  cereals 
are  raised,  but  where  fruits,  grapes,  and  even  sweet  potatoes 
grow  well. 


MOUNTAINS,     STREAMS,    ETC.  41 


From  the  north  end  of  the  Guadalupe  Mountains  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Delaware  Elver  the  valley  of  the  Pecos  is  level 
and  very  fertile,  averaging  in  width  some  three  or  four  miles. 
The  tillable  area  could  be  extended  far  beyond  the  immediate 
bottoms.  For  here  the  plateau,  instead  of  terminating  in  abrupt 
bluffs,  descends  gradually  and  in  a  somewhat  gentle  slope  to 
the  river  bottom.  The  supply  of  water  in  the  river  being  ample, 
and  the  fall  rapid  in  this  part  of  its  course,  irrigating  canals 
could  be  carried  far  up  the  slope,  if  not  to  the  top  of  the  plateau. 
The  soil  on  the  upper  level  possesses  all  the  ingredients  neces- 
sary to  productiveness,  except  that  furnished  by  water.  Supply 
this  and  all  the  table  lands  of  New  Mexico  will  yield  rich  returns 
for  the  labor  bestowed  upon  them. 

The  valley  in  which  the  Mexican  town  of  Don  Fernandez  de 
Taos,  and  the  Indian  pueblo  of  Taos,  known  as  the  Taos  valley, 
in  the  northern  section  of  New  Mexico,  are  situated,  may  be  said 
to  be  formed  by  a  notch  or  bend  in  the  mountain  range.  On  the 
southwest  is  the  Picuris  Range,  with  a  strike  nearly  northeast 
and  southwest.  The  next  range  east  of  this  trends  about  north 
and  south.  It  is  about  eighteen  miles  in  extent  from  east  to 
west,  and  sixteen  from  north  to  south,  the  narrow  valley  of  the 
Arroyo  Hondo  forming  its  northern  extremity.  There  is  also 
an  open  area,  about  eight  miles  wide,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Bio  Grande,  which  may  properly  be  counted  as  a  part  of  it. 
The  entire  area,  including  the  strip  west  of  the  river,  amounts 
to  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  square  miles,  or  one  hundred 
and  sixty  thousand  acres,  a  large  part  of  which  may  ultimately 
be  brought  under  cultivation.  The  deep  arroyo  or  valley  at  the 
north  end  is  from  one  to  two  miles  wide,  affording  a  fertile 
spot,  easily  irrigated,  where  there  is  a  small  Mexican  settlement 
and  village.  The  entire  valley  of  Taos  seems  to  have  been  one 
broad  field  of  sage,  which,  on  the  parts  where  it  has  not  been 
disturbed,  excludes  every  other  growth,  giving  a  very  barren 
appearance  to  the  landscape. 

Besides  Taos  there  are  several  other  villages  and  settlements, 
chiefly  Mexican,  in  the  southeast  part  of  the  valley.  The 
amount  of  land  in  cultivation  is  not  more  than  fifteen  thousand 
acres.  Unless  the  canon  through  which  the  Bio  Grande  emerges 
into  this  valley  should  present  some  insurmountable  difficulty, 
the  greater  part  of  its  area  may  be  irrigated,  the  northern  and 


42  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

western  portion  from  this  river,  and  that  part  along  the  moun- 
tains from  the  streams  that  flow  into  it. 

The  soil  is  quite  different  from  that  of  the  valleys  further 
north,  being  very  finely  pulverized  and  loose;  it  also  is  of  con- 
siderable depth  and  very  fertile.  The  cause  of  its  fertility  will 
be  understood  from  the  following  quotation,  made  from  the 
preliminary  report  of  the  United  States  Geologist  on  the  "  Geolo- 
gical Survey  of  Colorado  and  New  Mexico,"  1869,  p.  70: 

"  The  valley  proper  is  scooped  out  of  the  Santa  Fe  marls, 
which  must  at  one  time  have  prevailed  extensively,  as  in  the 
country  north  of  Santa  F6,  but  the  surface  has  been  smoothed 
off,  so  that  no  where' are  the  marls  conspicuous;  still  they  can  be 
seen  all  along  the  base  of  the  mountains  bordering  the  valley, 
where  portions  of  the  recent  deposits  lie  high  on  the  mountain 
side.  No  sedimentary  rocks  of  older  date  are  seen,  and  the 
Santa  Fe  marls  rest  directly  on  the  metamorphic  rocks." 

The  effect  of  this  marl  upon  the  appearance  and  character  of 
the  soil  is  plainly  seen.  The  consequence  is,  that  that  which  in 
its  wild  state  appears  as  but  a  barren  sage  plain,  across  which 
the  wind  sweeps  the  fine  particles  of  the  light  soil,  piling  it  in 
little  heaps  around  the  bushes,  by  the  application  of  water  is 
changed  into  a  fertile  field.  Sufficient  wneat  to  supply  the 
Territory  might  be  raised  in  this  valley.  It  is  considered  the 
best  wheat  growing  region  in  New  Mexico.  The  climate  appears 
to  be  milder  here  than  in  the  San  Luis  Valley  proper  in  Colo- 
rado, although  but  narrowly  separated  from  each  other,  and 
the  differences  of  latitude  and  altitude  being  slight. 

The  Cimarron  and  Vermejo  rivers  afford  considerable  breadth 
of  arable  land,  the  former  presenting  a  valley  some  twenty-five 
or  thirty  miles  long,  varying  in  width  from  one  to  six  miles, 
which  can  be  easily  irrigated.  The  latter  presents  a  valley  of 
more  uniform  width,  and  bordered,  generally,  by  higher  lands. 
It  is  about  the  same  length  as  the  former,  and  where  we  crossed 
it  about  two  miles  wide,  and  very  rich  and  fertile,  the  creek 
supplying  sufficient  water  to  irrigate  the  whole  of  it. 

The  Rayado  runs  through  a  valley  somewhat  similar  to  that 
of  the  Vermejo,  the  bottoms  being  very  low  and  easily  irrigated, 
but  they  are  subject  to  occasional  overflows.  The  creek  is 


MOUNTAINS,    STREAMS,    ETC.  43 


sufficient  to  supply  the  lower  level  with  water  for  irrigation, 
but  the  second  level  is  rather  too  high  to  be  reached  except  by 
a  lengthy  canal. 

The  Ocate  winds  through  a  narrow  valley  of  erosion,  the 
high  bordering  bluffs  descending  to  it  in  steep  curves,  beautifully 
carpeted  over  with  grass.  Not  a  tree  or  bush  is  to  be  seen;  all 
is  as  smooth  as  a  meadowy  lawn.  This  valley  is  generally 
narrow,  varying  from  one-half  to  a  mile  or  so  in  width,  but  it 
expands  as  it  approaches  the  river. 

The  Mora  valley  is  the  finest  in  this  section,  and,  next  to  the 
Taos  valley,  the  best  wheat  growing  region  in  the  Territory. 
The  upper  or  mountain  portion  of  it  is  some  eight  or  ten  miles 
long,  and  about  three  miles  wide.  After  passing  out  of  this 
through  a  narrow  gorge,  the  creek  enters  the  more  open  plains, 
and  is  bordered  for  the  greater  part  of  its  length  by  a  tolerably 
broad  and  very  fertile  valley.  The  entire  length  is,  perhaps, 
some  sixty  or  seventy  miles,  and  the  width  of  the  irrigable  lands 
that  skirt  the  creek  will  probably  average  four  or  five  miles. 

The  comparatively  low  elevation  and  southeastern  exposure 
of  this  section,  together  with  the  mountain  barriers  west  and 
north,  give  to  it  a  more  moderate  climate  than  that  of  the 
section  immediately  west.  Not  only  is  wheat,  which  is  produced 
here,  remarkably  fine,  but  corn  grows  large,  with  full,  fine  ears. 
The  fruits,  if  cultivated,  would  produce  crops  almost,  if  not 
quite,  equal  to  those  of  the  Bio  Grande  valley.  And  in  the 
southeast  part  of  the  section,  along  the  Canadian  river,  grapes 
can  be  grown  without  any  difficulty.  The  native  grape,  without 
having  the  aid  of  irrigation,  grows  here  in  rich  profusion,  the 
stunted  vines  often  being  loaded  down  with  the  clusters. 

The  Canadian  river  (called  indiscriminately  the  Canadian, 
the  Bio  Colorado,  and  Bed  river),  is  the  great  water  artery  of 
that  section  of  New  Mexico,  lying  between  the  Baton  mountain 
on  the  north,  and  the  Pecos  river  section,  or  Llano  Estacado,  on 
the  south  and  southwest,  and  which  contains  about  15,000  square 
miles.  Professor  Cyrus  Thomas  estimates  the  area  of  arable  land 
in  the  section  of  about  1400  square  miles,  or  900,000  acres;  but 
Ms  estimate,  founded  upon  slender  and  unreliable  data,  is 
probably  very  much  too  small.  The  pastoral  extent  and  capacity 
of  the  section  is  said  to  be  unsurpassed.  The  Canadian,  rising 


44  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

in  the  Baton  mountain,  runs  southeast  for  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles,  to  Fort  Bascom,  where  it  turns  east,  and  passes 
out  of  the  Territory,  a  little  north  of  the  thirty-fifth  parallel- 
its  whole  length  within  the  limits  of  New  Mexico  being  about 
two  hundred  miles.  Most  of  its  tributaries  of  any  importance 
in  an  agricultural  point  of  view  flow  in  from  the  west,  of  which 
the  following  are  the  principal  ones:  Vermejo,  Little  Cimmarron, 
Ocate,  Bayado  (a  branch  of  the  Ocate,)  Mora,  Rio  Conchas, 
Pajarito  creek,  and  Tucumcari  creek. 

As  will  be  seen  by  a  glance  at  the  map  of  this  region,  its 
western  part  slopes  eastward,  while  the  general  descent  is 
toward  the  south.  Hence  the  highest  portion  of  its  general 
surface  is  found  in  the  northwest  angle,  where  the  elevation  is 
probably  about  five  thousand  feet  above  the  sea-level,  while  the 
southeast  corner,  which  is  the  lowest,  has  an  elevation  of  only 
three  thousand  feet. 

Starting  from  the  crest  of  the  Baton  mountains,  immediately 
above  the  source  of  the  Canadian  river,  after  passing  down 
through  a  dense  forest  of  magnificent  pines  and  firs,  we  enter  a 
beautiful  little  valley,  covered  over  with  a  thick  sward  of 
luxuriant  grass.  Here  a  considerable  amount  is  annually  cut 
for  hay,  and  taken  to  Trinidad.  But  this  valley  soon  terminates, 
and  the  little  stream  and  road  enter  a  rugged  canon,  bordered 
by  precipitous  bluffs  of  gray  sandstone,  which  continue  to  the 
plains  at  the  base  of  the  mountain.  Here  a  grand  panoramic 
view  spreads  out  toward  the  south;  a  broad,  valley-like  plain 
slopes  southward  as  far  as  the  vision  will  reach.  Scarcely  a  tree 
or  shrub  is  to  be  seen;  all  is  one  smooth,  grassy  carpet,  which,  on 
the  distant  gentle  slopes,  looks  more  like  pale,  pea-green  velvet 
than  anything  else  to  which  I  can  compare  it.  Bising  up  from 
the  broad  base  are  two  or  three  huge  basaltic  tables,  lifting  their 
perfectly  level  surfaces  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  or  more  into 
the  air,  and  all  clothed  in  the  same  velvety  covering,  but  which 
fails  to  destroy  the  sharp  outline  of  circular  rim.  The  little 
stream,  like  a  silvery  thread,  is  seen  winding  its  tortuous  course 
along  the  gently  descending  plain,  joined  now  and  then  by  a 
slender  rill  flowing  down  from  the  mountain  on  the  west.  It  is 
a  magnificent  pasture  ground  for  sheep  and  cattle ,  where 
thousands  might  be  grazed  securely  at  a  very  small  expense. 


MOUNTAINS,    STREAMS,    ETC.  45 

The  Bio  San  Juan,  a  large  and  important  tributary  of  the 
Colorado  of  the  West,  although  rising  in  the  San  Juan  moun- 
tains of  Coloiado  territory,  bends  south  and  traverses  the  north- 
west portion  of  New  Mexico,  where  it  receives  a  number  of 
affluents.  These  valleys  afford  an  extensive  breadth  of  very 
rich  land,  which  can  be  irrigated,  and  which  will  produce  fine 
crops  of  the  cereals,  vegetables  and  fruits,  usually  grown  in  the 
Middle  States.  As  this  area,  said  Prof.  Hayden,  in  1868, 
appears  to  be  almost,  if  not  entirely,  unoccupied,  it  would 
present  a  good  point  for  a  colony,  and,  indeed,  colonies  are  at 
this  time  (1874)  being  established  there,'  and  the  excellencies  of 
the  region  are  attracting  a  large  permanent  mining  and  agri- 
cultural population  into  that  section.  We  have  elsewhere 
written  more  fully  of  the  San  Juan  river  and  of  the  section  it 
traverses. 

The  Gila  river  in  southwestern  New  Mexico  has  upon  its 
margins  much  good  agricultural  land,  a  long  distance  above 
where  it  enters  Arizona,  but  the  bottom  lands  about  the  head- 
waters of  the  stream  are  said  to  be  pebbly,  and  comparatively 
inferior.  Emigration  however  is  extending  westward,  and 
much  of  it  settling  down  in  the  Gila  country,  where,  among 
other  inducements,  the  good  mining  character  of  the  mountain- 
ous region  adjoining  on  the  north  and  south  is  a  principal 
attraction,  several  very  valuable  discoveries  of  gold,  quartz  and 
placers,  and  of  copper  ore,  having  been  recently  made,  though 
as  yet  the  country  has  been  but  to  a  limited  extent  penetrated 
and  explored  by  prospectors. 

The  Bio  Mimbres,  in  the  same  section  of  the  Territory  as 
the  Bio  Gila,  runs  through  a  beautiful  valley  of  moderate  width 
and  fertile  soil,  where  all  the  productions  of  the  Central  States 
can  be  raised,  and  where  even  those  things  which  belong  to  a 
more  southern  climate  can  be  grown  without  difficulty.  This 
river  is  a  smaller  stream  than  the  Gila,  and  the  land  along  its 
margins  is  being  much  more  rapidly  occupied  by  settlers  under 
the  homestead  laws,  there  being  no  Spanish  or  Mexican  or  other 
grants  (except  the  Texas  Pacific  railroad  subsidy),  anywhere  in 
that  section  of  country. 

The  Bio  Puerco,  the  first  stream  of  any  considerable  size 
west  of  the  Bio  Grande  (in  the  central  part  of  the  Territory), 


46  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


into  which  it  empties,  runs  through  a  deep,  narrow  channel 
nearly  its  whole  course,  having  along  its  margins  wide  and  fer- 
tile bottom  lands,  which  are  being  settled  upon  in  many  places, 
now  that  the  hostile  Navajos,  who  for  centuries  had  prevented 
the  extension  of  settlements  westward,  have  been  reduced  to 
subjection,  and  are  no  longer  to  be  feared.  The  water  is  not  in 
all  places  permanent  in  it  all  the  year  round,  but  can  be  made 
permanent  and  available  by  sinking  or  damming,  as  has  been 
proven  by  some  of  the  settlers  upon  west  of  Alburquerque,  and 
by  which  means  they  obtain  all  the  supply  of  water  needed. 
In  the  months  of  May  and  June  we  have  seen  the  Puerco  carry- 
ing an  average  volume  of  muddy  water  .ten  feet  wide  and  four 
feet  deep. 

The  Rio  Pecos  is  an  important  and  a  very  beautiful  stream, 
heading  a  short  distance  east  of  the  city  of  Santa  Fe,  and 
emptying  into  the  Bio  Grande  in  Texas.  It  is  an  exceedingly 
crooked  stream  its  whole  length,  with  a  very  narrow  and  deep 
channel,  its  width  averaging,  we  think,  about  a  hundred  feet, 
and  its  depth  about  eight  feet — the  water  depth  perhaps  about 
five  feet.  The  water  in  the  stream  in  New  Mexico  is  clear  and 
sweet,  though  after  it  enters  Texas  it  becomes  so  brackish  or 
salty  as  to  be  utterly  unpalatable,  owing  to  the  extensive  alka- 
line regions  it  traverses  as  it  approaches  the  Bio  Grande.  Upon 
its  banks  in  New  Mexico  there  are  numerous  towns  and  settle- 
ments, and  many  thousands  of  acres  of  excellent  land  are  irri- 
gated with  its  water,  and  thousands  of  herds  of  sheep  and  cat- 
tle are  found  grazing  upon  the  extensive  pasture  grounds  in  its 
vicinity. 

The  Tecolote  is  a  brisk  little  river,  the  principal  settlement 
upon  it  being  the  town  of  that  name  in  San  Miguel  county. 
The  average  width  of  the  creek  is,  we  think,  about  seventy- 
five  feet. 

The  Gallinas  is  a  beautiful  and  an  important  stream,  having 
upon  its  margins  various  flourishing  towns  and  settlements,  the 
principal  of  which  is  the  city  of  Las  Vegas,  county  seat  of  San 
Miguel.  It  is  somewhat  larger  than  the  Tecolote,  arid  has  upon 
its  banks  a  greater  number  of  settlements  of  all  kinds. 

But  we  cannot  stop  to  describe  evenjbriefly  all  the  principal 
streams  of  the  Territory.  None  of  them  are  large  rivers,  but 
all  are  handsome  streams  and  important  water-courses  in  the 


MOUNTAINS,    STREAMS,    ETC.  47 

natural  economy  of  New  Mexico.  The  one  first  mentioned  in 
our  catalogue — called  indiscriminately  the  Bio  Grande,  the  Bio 
Bravo,  the  Bio  del  Norte,  and  the  Bio  Grande  del  Norte,  is  not 
only  the  great  river  of  New  Mexico,  but  it  is  the  Nile  of  Amer- 
ica, having  a  most  striking  resemblance  to  this  great  African 
river.  It  is  1,800  miles  in  length,  a^id  of  almost  equal  volume 
from  the  source  to  the  mouth  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  It  has 
two  branches,  and  flows  hundreds  of  miles  without  receiving  a 
tributary.  It  is  fed  almost  entirely  from  the  Bocky  Mountains. 
An  annual  rise  occurs  about  the  month  of  June  from  the  melt- 
ing of  the  snows  each  spring.  Like  the  Nile,  it  is  almost  the 
sole  reliance  of  the  farmer.  The  natives  have  made  to  each 
town  and  adjoining  lands,  canals  for  irrigation.  These  are  often 
twenty  or  thirty  miles  in  length,  affording  also  considerable 
mill  power.  The  waters  of  the  Bio  Grande,  like  the  Nile,  are 
exceedingly  turbid,  carrying  a  large  proportion  of  sediment — 
probably  at  high  water  one-fifth  of  the  bulk  of  the  water. 
Each  irrigation  is  consequently  a  coat  of  manure  to  the  soil; 
and  cultivation  by  this  process  instead  of  impoverishing  the  soil 
enriches  it.  The  natives  never  use  any  other  manure.  In  El 
Paso  valley  the  Spaniards  found  a  tribe  of  Indians  cultivating 
the  soil  nearly  three  hundred  years  ago,  and  it  has  been  culti- 
vated continually  ever  since,  yet  the  soil  is  of  undiminished 
fertility. 

The  valleys  of  all  the  streams  are  extremely  "rich  and  produc- 
tive, and  the  uplands  everywhere  in  the  Territory  are  vastly 
more  so  than  the  unexperienced  and  unreflecting  would  expect 
or  believe.  Professor  Hayden  011  this  subject  says:  "  It  is  only 
after  a  careful  examination  of  a  vast  number  of  experiments 
made  in  New  Mexico,  Colorado,  Wyoming,  Utah,  &c.,  that  I 
am  forced  to  acknowledge  what  I  before  did  not  believe,  viz: 
that  wherever  there  is  soil  in  these  regions,  it  is  rich  in  the  pri- 
mary elements  of  fertility.  Major  Emery,  in  his  <  Beconnoisance 
in  New  Mexico  and  California,'  speaking  of  the  Mora  Valley, 
says:  <  The  plains  were  strewed  with  fragments  of  brick-dust, 
colored  lava,  scoria3,  and  slag;  the  hills  to  the  left  capped  with 
white  granular  quartz.  The  plains  are  almost  destitute  of  vege- 
tation; the  hills  bear  a  stunted  growth  of  pin  on  and  red  cedar.' 
And  although  he  adds  that  rain  had  recently  fallen,  and  the  grass 
in  the  bottom  was  good,  yet  it  fails  to  obliterate  the  picture  of 


48  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

barrenness  he  had  drawn.  But  that  which  wore  such  a  desolate 
appearance  in  1846  is  now  one  of  the  richest  wheat-growing 
valleys  in  the  whole  Territory,  its  only  rival  being  the  Taos 
valiey,  which  was  once  covered  with  nothing  but  sage-bushes, 
and  was  likewise  counted  as  barren  and  worthless. " 

The  Territory  has  its  prairie  districts  and  its  timber  districts. 

In  most  of  the  mountain  canons  and  gorges,  timber,  large 
and  excellent,  principally  pine,  is  found  in  great  quantity.  The 
report  of  the  35th  parallel  railroad  route  through  New  Mexico 
refers  to  the  supply  of  timber  to  be  found  along  the  proposed 
railway  line. 

From  the  most  reliable  data  within  reach,  we  estimate  that 
in  New  Mexico  there  are  five  millions  of  acres  of  timber  land, 
including  all  lands  not  destitute  of  trees.  In  New  Mexico  the 
timber  region  commences  twenty  to  thirty  miles  west  of  the 
Rio  Grande,  near  latitude  32°  30',  and  extends  to  the  north 
boundary  of  the  Territory.  In  places,  to  wit  :  at  and  above  lat- 
itude 35°  30',  it  approaches  nearer  to  the  river,  but  within  the 
above  limits  there  are  extensive  prairies  or  plains,  covering 
probably  three-fourths  of  the  entire  area.  East  of  the  Bio 
Grande  the  timber  is  confined  chiefly  to  the  range  of  moun- 
tains commencing  at  the  north  boundary  of  the  Territory,  and 
terminating  a  few  miles  southeast  of  Santa  Fe,  the  Sandia 
mountains  southwest  of  Santa  Fe,  and  the  Sierra  Blanca  and 
Sacramento  mountains  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Stanton  in  the 
southeastern  portion  of  the  Territory. 

From  the  Pueblo  of  Isleta  on  the  Rio  Grande,  to  the  Mexican 
town  of  Rito,  forty-eight  miles  west,  there  is  no  timber  except 
cedar  bushes  on  the  Rio  Puerco.  The  cedar  thickets  which 
Whipple  found  on  the  Puerco,  in  1853,  have  all  been  swept  away 
for  fuel  by  the  Rio  Grande  settlements.  The  construction  tim- 
ber for  this  section  must  come  by  rail  from  the  Sandia  moun- 
tains east  of  Alburquerque,  an  average  haul  of  45  miles.  For 
fuel,  the  coal  of  Sarocino  Canon  exists  close  to  the  line. 

From  Rito  to  the  "Remances"  (30  miles),  an  abundance  of 
large  pine  timber  can  be  obtained  from  the  spurs  of  the  San 
Mateo,  a  wagon  haul  of  12  or  15  miles.  Near  the  Remances  it 
is  but  4  miles  distant  in  the  Canons.  And  from  the  Remances 


MOUNTAINS,     STREAMS,    ETC.  49 


to  Navajo  Pass  (44  miles),  parallel  with  the  Sierra  Madre,  the 
splendid  forests  of  that  range  are  only  from  4  to  12  miles  dis- 
tant. This  timber  is  pine  and  spruce,  of  fine  quality  and  appar- 
ently inexhaustable.  The  whole  of  this  range  south,  nearly  to 
the  route  of  the  32d  parallel,  is  believed  to  be  covered  with  a 
dense  growth  of  large  timber.  In  connection  with  the  supply 
on  the  San  Mateo  spurs,  it  will  furnish  all  the  construction 
wants  of  the  road  as  far  west  as  the  Little  Colorado,  and  give  it 
a  large  commercial  traffic. 

On  the  "  Zufii  Route,"  Miller's  line  ran  through  or  closely 
adjacent  to  timber,  from  fort  Wingate  nearly  to  Zufii  village,  a 
distance  of  65  miles,  west  of  which  cedar  and  pinon  continued 
the  supply  for  fuel  purposes  to  Farewell  Ridge,  25  miles  further. 

On  the  San  Felipe  line,  Schuyler  found  pine  abundant  and 
large  enough  for  ties,  a  few  miles  north  and  west  of  "Moquino," 
and  a  good  growth  of  pine  in  the  mountains,  within  6  to  10  miles 
of  Zia  (14  miles  from  the  Bio  Grande),  on  the  Jemez  River, 
So  that  on  this  route  the  timber  supply  begins  much  nearer  the 
Rio  Grande  than  on  the  Isleta  line.  At  San  Felipe  an  abun- 
dance of  timber  can  be  got  by  floating  it  down  the  Jemez  or 
Rio  Grande  during  the  high  water  of  early  summer. 

On  or  near  the  proposed  line  of  the  road  north  of  San  Mateo 
mountain  good  pine  timber  is  abundant.  West  of  the  Sierra 
Madre  along  Navajo  Creek,  there  is  enough  pinon  and  cedar  for 
fuel — though  it  will  not  be  needed  for  that  use,  as  coal  will  be 
used.  Railroad  construction  timber  will  have  to  be  brought 
from  the  slopes  and  gorges  of  the  Sierra  Madre. 

Between  Fort  Union  and  the  Rio  Grande,  one  hundred  and 
forty  miles,  the  route  is  well  timbered,  the  supply  being  either 
directly  upon  or  within  easy  access  of  the  proposed  railroad. 
It  approaches  to  within  fifteen  miles  of  the  Rio  Grande  inTijeras 
canon,  and  in  the  Placer  and  Sandia  Mountains  it  occurs  in  the 
greatest  abundance,  extending  south  the  whole  extent  of  the 
Organ  Mountains.  The  timber — pine,  spruce,  oak  and  cedar — 
is  of  fine  quality,  and  would  furnish  a  fine  traffic  for  the  railway. 

On  the  Galisteo  route  for  fifty  miles  there  is  no  timber  fit  for 
construction  purposes,  though  there  is  enough  cedar  and  pifion 
for  fuel  if  wanted,  but  pine  can  be  obtained  in  abundance  from 
Canon  Blanco  Pass,  and  from  the  Placer  and  Sandia  mountains 
by  hauling  ten  or  fifteen  miles — and  would  maintain  the  timber 

4 


50  BUEVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

supply  to  the  road  on  that  route  nearly  to  the  Eio  Grande.  In 
the  Santa  Fe  mountains,  25  miles  north  of  the  valley  of  the 
Galisteo,  the  timber  is  of  large  size  and  abundant. 

If  the  line  should  follow  the  Rio  Grande  below  San  Felipe, 
timber  can  be  obtained  by  floating  it  down  the  Jemez,  at  the 
proper  season,  and  by  hauling  it  from  the  Sandia  mountains 
which  bound  the  Rio  Grande  on  the  east,  south  of  the  Galisteo. 

On  the  whole,  this  route  opens  up  a  more  extensive  supply 
of  timber  than  the  Raton  mountain  line,  and  has,  besides,  the 
very  great  advantage  of  admitting,  for  most  of  its  length,  of  the 
use  of  large  streams  for  the  economical  transportation  of  timber 
to  the  points  at  which  it  may  be  required. 

In  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  south  of  Alburquerque,  the 
only  timber  consists  of  occasional  scanty  groves  of  cottonwood. 
There  is  timber  in  the  Manzano  or  Organ  Range  on  the  east 
side  of  the  river,  and  in  the  Magdalena  mountains,  ten  miles 
west  of  Socorro.  The  Magdalena  range  bears  thence  southwest- 
ward,  and  contains  large  pine  and  pinoreal,  and  some  other 
timber. 

The  quality  of  the  pine  in  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  is  not 
always  very  good;  but  in  the  dry  climate  of  this  elevated  plateau 
it  will  probably  endure  as  long  as  the  best  varieties  of  wood  in 
the  Atlantic  Slope,  and  will  answer  for  bridging  and  all  other 
purposes.  The  Douglas  spruce  of  the  Sandia  mountain,  Sierra 
Madre  and  Sierra  Mogoyon  is  excellent. 

Timber  can  be  floated  down  the  Arkansas  and  also  the  Rio 
Grande  with  its  tributaries,  during  the  summer  rise,  from  the 
mountain  supplies  to  the  points  of  crossing.  The  experience  of 
the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  on  the  Laramie  and  other  rivers  in 
the  Rocky  Mountains  upon  their  line,  has  demonstrated  how 
readily  and  cheaply  this  can  be  done. 

The  whole  line  is  well  supplied  as  well  as  with  timber,  with 
building  stone,  limestone,  and  so  forth.  East  of  the  Rio  Grande 
there  is  in  Colorado  the  wood-colored  sandstone  of  Fort  Wallace, 
the  quarry  at  Fort  Lyon  of  excellent  sandstone,  and  in  New 
Mexico  the  eruptive  rocks  of  the  Raton  mountains,  good  sand- 
stone and  limestone  thence  to  the  Pecos  river,  other  sandstone 
not  so  good  in  crossing  the  Canon  Blanco  summit,  granite  and 
limestone  in  the  Sandia  mountain  range,  and  extensive  deposits 
of  limestone  between  it  and  the  Placer  mountain.  Between  the 


MOUNTAINS,    STREAMS,    ETC.  51 

Bio  Grande  and  the  Rio  Colorado  occur  the  extensive  sandstone 
beds  which  line  the  Rito  valley;  the  superior  Jemez  marble; 
the  indestructible  lava  rocks,  which  are  abundant  all  the  way  to 
the  Sierra  Madre,  and  will  be  very  useful  for  many  purposes  of 
construction  and  especially  for  ballasting;  the  Hi  to  gypsum, 
whose  prepared  material  will  be  useful  in  bridging,  lining  of 
tanks,  acequias,  &c. ;  the  granite  and  carboniferous  limestone  of 
the  Sierra  Madre;  and  the  cretaceous  sandstones  between  this 
range  and  the  Mogoyon,  which,  although  mostly  unfitted  for 
the  purposes  of  railroad  construction,  yet,  in  the  arid  climate 
where  they  are  mainly  located,  they  will  furnish  an  unlimited 
supply  of  cheap  material,  easily  worked,  and  sufficiently  durable 
for  storehouses  and  stations  for  railways,  and  innumerable 
other  uses  on  a  large  scale. 

The  forest  growth  of  timber  is  usually  the  "Rocky  Mountain 
pine,"  which,  from  its  durable  quality,  regularity  of  growth, 
and  facility  for  working  up  into  the  different  qualities  of  lum- 
ber, is  probably  the  most  valuable  of  any  western  pine.  When 
growing  singly  this  pine  is  apt  to  assume  a  branching  shape, 
with  an  irregular  oval  outline;  but,  in  extensive  forests,  it  pre- 
sents a  more  uniform  trunk,  less  knotty,  and  better  suited  for 
boards  and  dimension  lumber.  The  interior  wood,  being  to  a 
considerable  extent  impregnated  with  resin,  renders  it  durable 
and  well  adapted  for  railroad  ties.  This  is  the  prevalent  pine 
tree  which  is  met  with  on  all  the  elevated  mountain  slopes 
extending  from  the  eastern  Rocky  mountains  to  the  Sierra 
Nevada. 

Along  the  different  lines  of  the  surveyed  railroad  routes 
through  southern  Colorado  and  New  Mexico,  a  very  peculiar 
pine,  very  abundant  in  New  Mexico,  makes  its  appearance  along 
the  foot-hills  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  clothing  the  low,  rocky 
ledges  with  patches  of  dark  green,  as  seen  in  a  distant  view. 
This  is  the  nut  pine,  or  Piflon  of  the  natives,  Pinus  edulis  of 
botanists.  It  is  generally  of  a  low,  branching  habit,  its  short 
stocky  trunk  dividing  near  the  surface  of  the  ground  into 
branching  arms,  giving  it  a  globular  outline.  When  growing 
in  large  bodies  its  straggling  branches  intertwine  to  form  almost 
inextricable  thickets.  It  is  generally  associated,  at  lower  eleva- 
tions, with  a  cedar  of  a  similar  straggling  habit,  which  further 
west  gives  place  to  the  Arizona  Juniper.  These  trees  are  all 


52  BBEVOOBT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


well  adapted  for  fuel,  burning  when  dry  with  a  clear,  intense 
flame,  which  is  prolonged  and  steady,  especially  suited  for  steam 
purposes.  In  some  sections  the  pifion  presents  a  more  upright 
growth,  and  has  short,  uniform  trunks,  suitable  for  railroad  ties. 
The  wood  is  durable  but  knotty,  and  with  a  twisted  fibre,  so 
that  it  is  unfitted  for  other  purposes  of  construction. 

The  distribution  of  the  pinon  and  cedar  forests  are  particu- 
larly favorable  for  convenient  supplies  of  railroad  fuel,  being 
scattered  along  the  line  of  the  route,  easily  accessible,  and  in 
inexhaustable  amount,  the  range  extending  through  New  Mex- 
ico, northern  Arizona,  and  to  the  eastern  base  of  the  Sierra 
Nevadas  in  California. 

The  true  pine  belt  of  this  interior  portion  of  the  continent 
ranges  between  six  thousand  and  ten  thousand  feet  above  the 
sea;  here  it  secures  the  needful  moisture  in  the  form  of  rain, 
dew,  or  winter  snow,  and  is  also  naturally  associated  with  the 
.protruded  granite  rocks  which  form  the  central  nucleus  of  the 
higher  ridges.  It  would  be  difficult  to  conceive  of  a  more  conven- 
ient distribution  of  these  pine  forests  for  railroad  construction  or 
transportation,  than  that  presented  on  the  line  of  the  35th  parallel. 
Intercepting  first  the  high  pine  clad  ridges  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, it  skirts  for  some  distance  their  eastern  base,  thus  render- 
ing accessible  the  great  bulk  of  timber  products  to  supply  the 
treeless  wastes  of  the  great  plains;  and  by  means  of  the  passes 
leading  to  the  valley  of  the  Bio  Grande,  furnishes  that  exten- 
sive agricultural  district  with  the  material  for  building,  bridging, 
and  railroad  construction. 

Still  further  in  western  New  Mexico  the  high  ridges  of  the 
Sierra  Madre,  while  offering  everything  desired  in  the  way  of 
satisfactory  railroad  passes,  presents  on  the  higher  adjoining 
ridges,  including  the  elevated  volcanic  peaks  of  San  Mateo 
mountain,  a  magnificent  growth  of  untouched  forests  especially 
adapted  to  the  supply  of  treeless  districts  to  the  east  and  west. 

The  principal  trees  found  in  the  mountain  valleys  of  New 
Mexico,  are  the  ash,  walnut  and  hack  berry,  and  on  the  moun- 
tains, pine,  oak,  cedar,  pinoreal,  and  pifion.  The  principal  tree 
of  the  deep  valleys  and  stream  margins  is  the  cottonwood,  a 
brash  tree,  which  will  not  make  lumber,  but  is  a  beautiful  shade 
tree,  frequently  found  transplanted  around  residences,  and  which 
answers  most  of  the  requirements  for  building  and  fencing. 


MOUNTAINS,    STREAMS,    ETC.  53 


The  willow  is  common.  It  is  much  used  by  the  Jicarilla 
Apache  Indians  for  making  baskets,  &c. 

The  mesquite  or  screwbean  tree  becomes,  particularly  in  the 
Gila  river  valley,  a  considerable  tree.  The  wood  has  a  fine 
grain,  and  resembles  the  black  walnut.  It  is  very  durable 
wood,  and  as  a  fuel  makes  an  intense  heat,  more  so  than  any 
with  which  we  are  acquainted.  These  trees  emit  vast  quantities 
of  a  gum  resembling  and  possessing  similar  qualities  to  the  gum 
arabic  of  commerce.  The  Apache  Indians  eat  the  mesquite 
bean,  grinding  it  upon  hand  mills  into  flour,  and  the  bread  is 
very  palatable.  !£Iorses  fatten  upon  the  beans.  On  the  table 
lands  is  found  a  peculiar  variety  of  the  mesquite.  It  can  hardly 
be  called  a  tree,  being  rather  a  stunted,  almost  leafless  shrufy  grow- 
ing in  the  most  barren  places.  In  summer  they  are  covered  with 
beans.  The  mesquite  tree  has  the  most  stupendous  roots, 
though  the  tree  above  them  often  appears  but  a  shrub.  A  patch 
of  these  presented  to  an  observer  is  always  but  the  visible  part 
of  a  forest  underground.  Twelve  feet  square  around  one  of 
these  bushes  will  often  yield  by  digging  a  cord  of  firewood. 
They  are  really  the  fuel-beds  of  a  district,  and  nature  has 
furnished  in  this  way  thousands  of  tons  of  fuel  for  the  smelting 
of  minerals.  The  roots,  both  dead  and  green,  make  most  excel- 
lent fire- wood — burn  entirely  to  ashes.  The  climate  being  arid, 
they  never  rot  in  the  ground.  The  dead  roots  are  a  natural 
charcoal,  and  instances  have  occurred  where  burning  them  in  a 
close  room  has  produced  death. 

The  beargrass  is  common  and  abundant  all  over  the  mesas 
or  table  lands  of  New  Mexico,  and  is  very  useful.  In  Mexico, 
gunnybags,  rope,  saddlers'  and  shoemakers'  thread,  are  made 
from  the  fiber.  During  the  blockade  of  the  coasts  in  the  late 
civil  war,  the  manufacture  of  ropes  of  this  plant  was  carried  on 
in  Texas. 

The  soapweed,  called  in  New  Mexico  by  its  Spanish  name, 
amole,  is  another  useful  plant,  and  is  very  common.  The  natives 
prefer  it  to  soap  for  washing  woolen  goods.  It  extracts  all  grease 
and  restores  the  lustre  of  the  goods.  The  lather  makes  the  best 
shampoo.  It  is  also  an  antidote  for  certain  poisons. 

The  maguey  plant,  known  as  the  American  aloe,  and  called 
by  the  Mexicans  mescal,  is  common  in  all  portions  of  the  Terri- 
tory. In  lower  Mexico,  where  the  plant  is  cultivated  and  is 


54  BKEVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

quite  popular,  the  Mexicans  make  from  it  a  beverage  they  call 
pulque,  and  in  the  upper  country,  including  New  Mexico  and 
Arizona,  they  make  from  it  a  very  intoxicating  brandy  called 
mescal.  The  Indians,  who  cook  and  eat  the  heart  of  the  plant, 
esteem  it  a  great  delicacy. 

Hops  grow  wild  in  the  mountains  all  over  the  Territory,  and 
are  of  a  superior  quality. 

Vegetables  of  all  kinds  do  well,  though  potatoes,  both  sweet 
and  Irish,  failing  in  some  portions,  yield  largely  in  other  por- 
tions. In  the  valley  in  which  the  city  of  Santa  Fe  stands  we 
have  often  heard  it  remarked  that  everything  expected  to  grow 
and  yield  in  that  latitude  and  elevation  does  well  there,  with 
the  sole  exception  of  watermelons  and  potatoes. 

In  passing  down  into  the  valley  of  the  upper  Bio  Grande, 
says  Dr.  Parry,  naturalist  to  the  railroad  route  survey,  we  en- 
countered a  flora  very  distinct  in  its  general  features,  including 
a  number  of  peculiar  plants  and  strange  shrubbery,  having  a 
Mexican  type.  The  river  here,  hemmed  in  along  a  great  por- 
tion of  its  upper  course  by  dark  igneous  and  basaltic  rocks,  flows 
in  deep  inaccessible  canons,  which  open  out  below  into  wide 
sandy  basins.  The  San  Luis  Valley,  lying  above  this  canoned 
portion  of  the  valley,  presents  a  wide  alluvial  basin,  including 
extensive  tracts  of  fertile  soil  lying  along  the  course  of  the 
numerous  tributary  streams  flowing  down  from  the  high  moun- 
tain ridges  on  either  side  of  the  main  valley.  This  section  is 
particularly  adapted  to  the  growth  of  cereals  and  root  crops,  and 
in  its  cool  atmosphere,  abundance  of  grass  and  clear  flowing 
water  is  eminently  a  dairy  region.  In  these  respects  the  two 
portions  of  the  main  valley,  designated  by  the  Mexican  popu- 
lation as  the  Upper  and  Lower  River,  maintain  the  natural 
distinction  in  their  products — the  former  being  adapted  to  small 
grains,  potatoes,  butter  and  cheese,  the  latter  to  corn  and  fruits. 
In  this  condition  of  things  an  exchange  of  products  would  prove 
of  mutual  advantage,  and  afford  profitable  business  in  the  way 
of  transportation  in  both  directions. 

The  natural  supply  of  fuel,  for  all  this  region,  is  furnished 
in  the  extensive  forests  of  pifkm  and  cedar,  which  occupy  ad- 
joining rocky  and  barren  ridges,  while  the  higher  mountain 
ranges  will  supply  lumber  and  building  material  to  any  desired 
extent. 


MOUNTAINS,    STREAMS,    ETC.  55 


The  lower  portion  of  the  valley  of  the  Bio  Grande  includes 
the  district  of  New  Mexico.  Here  \*e  find  the  valley  spread 
out  into  wide  alluvial  or  sandy  bottoms,  bounded  by  bluffs  of 
gravel  and  occasional  rocky  declivities  capped  with  basalt 
The  flora  here  includes  the  plants  referred  to  in  Dr.  Parry's  list 
as  New  Mexican.  Owing  to  the  more  porous  nature  of  the  soil, 
and  the  greater  summer  heat,  the  general  aspect  of  vegetation 
is  characterized  as  arid.  There  is  a  scarcity  of  tree  growth, 
confined  to  the  cottonwood  and  willow,  which  occupy  the  moist 
bottoms  or  direct  margins  of  the  river.  The  grass  of  the  valley 
is  coarse  and  frequently  saline,  and  on  the  adjoining  uplands  it  is 
scant,  though  of  a  nutritious  quality.  The  low  bottom  lands, 
susceptible  of  irrigation,  are  well  adapted  to  the  growth  of  corn, 
vines  and  peaches,  being  subject  to  irregular  overflows,  which, 
when  moderate  in  extent,  and  occurring  at  the  proper  season, 
help  to  maintain  the  natural  fertility  of  the  soil,  but  are  occa- 
sionally very  destructive,  in  flooding  growing  crops,  or  under- 
mining and  transporting  large  tracts  of  fertile  soil,  leaving  in 
its  place  the  coarse,  sandy  layers  of  the  changeable  river  bed. 
At  other  points  of  the  valley  the  prevalent  westerly  winds 
gather  up  the  light  drifting  sands  of  the  adjoining  bluffs,  and 
deposit  them  in  changeable,  ripple-marked  dunes,  on  the  fertile 
bottoms,  thus  consigning  them  to  a  hopeless  sterility,  as  well  as 
obstructing  the  ordinary  roads  by  their  deep  sandy  beds.  Still 
further  south,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Socorro,  sub-tropical 
shrubs,  including  Acacia,  MesquUe  and  Larrea  make  their 
appearance,  marking  the  norti^rn  limits  of  the  Mexican  flora. 

On  the  uplands  west  of  the  Bio  Grande,  near  the  35th 
parallel,  west  longitude,  we  meet  with  a  great  variety  of  sur- 
face exposures.  These  are  exhibited  in  extensive  mesas,  or 
table-lands,  composed  of  light-colored  porous  sedimentary  rocks, 
abounding  with  abrupt  mural  faces,  valleys  of  erosion;  these 
strata  are  interrupted  at  various  points  by  igneous  protrusions, 
and  overflows  of  basalt  and  lava,  serving  to  diversify  in  a 
remarkable  manner  the  external  features  of  scenery,  and  modify 
the  texture  and  composition  of  the  overlying  soil.  This  is 
especially  noticeable  in  the  character  of  the  native  vegetation, 
which  is  directly  adapted  to  these  variable  conditions.  Thus, 
on  the  dry  uplands  and  mesas  we  find  a  scattered  growth  of 
grama  grass,  interrupted  with  occasional  growths  of  cedar  and 


56  BREVOOBT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


pinon.  On  the  more  elevated  mountain  ridges  we  meet  with 
dense  forests  of  Rocky  Mountain  pine,  spruce  and  fir,  inter- 
mingled in  favorable  locations  with  oak  and  aspen.  The  lower 
valleys,  adapted  to  agriculture,  support  a  growth  of  coarse  grass 
and  shrubbery,  interrupted  by  occasional  bare  saline  flats.  In 
certain  sections  of  this  district  deep  cafioned  valleys  conceal  from 
view  clear  running  streams  in  which  the  vegetation  is  rank  and 
luxuriant,  while  at  other  points  the  valleys  expand  into  wide, 
grassy  basins,  where,  during  the  dry  season,  running  water  dis- 
appears from  the  surface,  or  is  exhibited  only  in  brackish  springs. 
This  character  of  country  comprises  the  once  favorite  home  of  the 
roving  Navajo  and  Apache,  and,  in  certain  defensive  positions, 
has  been  occupied  since  the  earliest  historic  periods  by  the  indus- 
trious and  contented  Pueblo  Indians.  It  extends,  with  slight 
variations,  through  western  New  Mexico  and  northern  Arizona, 
the  surveyed  rail  route  on  the  35th  parallel  traversing  the  most 
desirable  portions.  Being  passed  over  by  the  surveying  parties 
during  the  late  fall  and  winter  months,  only  an  imperfect  view 
of  its  botanical  features  could  be  obtained,  but  the  faded  vestiges 
of  floral  beauty  were  manifested  on  every  hand  to  testify  to  the 
luxuriant  richness  of  its  summer  dress. 

The  list  of  plants  Dr.  Parry  presented,  is  a  contribution  from 
one  of  the  latest  and  most  complete  railroad  surveys  ever  con- 
ducted on  this  continent,  to  our  knowledge,  of  the  natural  vege- 
tation of  the  far  West  Without  aiming  to  be  complete,  it  is  at 
least  sufficient  to  show,  that  along  the  entire  length  of  the  rail- 
road survey,  extending  from  Kansas  through  south-eastern 
Colorado,  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  to  the  Pacific,  there  is  an 
extent  of  habitable  country  which  only  needs  to  be  made  easily 
accessible  from  the  populous  districts  of  the  Mississippi  valley, 
and  the  western  seaboard,  to  support  and  maintain  a  prosperous, 
civilized  population. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  one  of  the  most  noticeable 
features  of  the  Territory  is  the  amount  of  timber,  which  is 
found  at  numerous  convenient  distributing  points.  Whipple 
and  Beale  have  dwelt  especially  on  this  feature,  both  pronounc- 
ing the  proposed  thirty-fifth  parallel  to  be  the  best  supplied  of 
any  route  across  the  continent.  The  language  of  the  geologist, 
Dr.  Parry,  may  most  fittingly  sum  up  the  case : 

"It  would  be  difficult  to  conceive  of  a  more  convenient  dis- 
tribution of  these  pine  forests  for  railroad  construction,  or  trans- 


AGRICULTURE.  57 


portation,  than  that  presented  on  the  line  of  the  35th  parallel. 
Along  the  entire  route,  located  at  convenient  distances  for 
transportation,  and  directly  available  for  the  supply  of  adjoining 
treeless  districts,  is  an  abundant  source  of  this  necessary  article, 
not  only  amply  sufficient  for  all  prospective  needs  of  railroad 
construction,  but  also  furnishing  a  material  for  profitable  trans- 
portation to  adjoining  mineral  and  agricultural  districts." 


AGRICULTURE. 

The  productions  of  New  Mexico,  as  might  be  inferred  from 
the  variety  of  its  climate,  are  varied,  but  the  staples  will 
evidently  be  cattle,  sheep,  wool,  and  wine,  for  which  it  seems 
to  be  peculiarly  adapted.  The  table-lands  and  mountain  valleys 
are  covered  throughout  with  the  nutritious  grama  and  other 
grasses,  which,  on  account  of  the  dryness  of  the  soil,  cure  upon 
the  ground,  and  afford  affort  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  food  for 
flocks  and  herds  both  summer  and  winter.  The  ease  and 
comparatively  small  costs  with  which  they  can  be  kept,  the 
rapidity  with  which  they  increase,  and  exemption  from  epidemic 
diseases,  added  to  the  fact  that  winter  feeding  is  not  required, 
must  make  the  raising  of  stock  and  wool-growing  a  prominent 
business  of  the  country. 

Wheat  and  oats  grow  throughout  the  Territory,  but  the 
former  does  not  yield  as  heavily  in  the  southern  as  in  the 
northern  part.  If  any  method  of  watering  the  higher  plateau 
is  ever  discovered,  we  think  that  it  will  produce  heavier  crops 
of  wheat  than  the  valley  of  the  Bio  Grande. 

Apples  will  grow  from  the  Taos  valley  south;  but  peaches 
cannot  be  raised  to  any  advantage  north  of  Bernalillo  in  the 
central  section,  but  it  is  likely  they  would  do  well  along  some 
of  the  tributaries  and  main  valley  of  the  Canadian  river.  They 
appear  to  grow  well  and  produce  fruit  without  irrigation  in  the 
Zufii  country;  and  the  valley  of  the  Mimbres  is  also  adapted  to 
their  culture.  Apricots  and  plums  grow  wherever  apples  or 


58  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

peaches  can  be  raised.  I  neglected  to  obtain  any  information  in 
regard  to  pears,  but,  judging  from  the  similarity  of  soil  and 
climate  here  to  that  of  Utah  and  California,  where  this  fruit 
grows  to  perfection,  I  suppose  that  in  the  central  and  southern 
portions  it  would  do  well.  The  grape  will  probably  be  the  chief, 
or  at  least  the  most  profitable  product  of  the  soil.  The  soil  and 
climate  appear  to  be  peculiarly  adapted  to  its  growth,  and  the 
probability  is  that  as  a  grape-growing  and  wine-producing 
section  it  will  be  second  only  to  California. 

We  differ  from  Professor  Hayden  in  his  opinion  that  Irish 
potatoes  are  inferior  to  those  raised  further  north.  Cabbages 
grow  large  and  fine.  Onions  from  the  Baton  mountains  south 
have  the  finest  flavor  of  any  we  ever  tasted,  and  therefore  are 
not  surprised  that  Lieutenant  Emory  found  the  dishes  at 
Bernalillo  "all  dressed  with  the  everlasting  onion."  Sweet 
potatoes  have  been  successfully  tried  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort 
Sumner,  and  along  the  head-waters  of  the  Bio  Bonito,  and  in 
many  other  localities.  Melons,  pumpkins,  frijoles,  etc.,  are 
raised  in  profusion  in  the  lower  valleys;  and  cotton  was  formerly 
grown  in  limited  quantities. 

As  a  general  thing,  the  mountains  afford  an  abundance  of 
pine  for  the  supply  of  lumber  and  fuel  to  those  sufficiently  near 
to  them.  Some  of  the  valleys  have  a  limited  amount  of  cotton- 
wood  growing  along  them.  In  addition  to  pine,  spruce  and 
cotton  wood,  the  stunted  cedar  and  mesquite,  which  is  found  over 
a  large  area,  may  be  used  for  fuel.  The  east  side  of  the 
Guadalupe  range  has  an  abundant  supply  of  pine  of  large  size. 
Around  the  head-waters  of  the  Pecos  is  some  excellent  timber. 
Walnut  and  oaks  are  found  in  a  few  spots  south,  but  in  limited 
quantities,  and  of  too  small  a  size  to  be  of  much  value. 

The  arable  land  of  a  large  portion  of  the  country  is  admirably 
adapted  to  agriculture  and  to  the  culture  of  the  grape.  This  is 
especially  true  of  the  valleys  of  the  Bio  Grande.  Those 
experienced  in  the  cultivation  of  the  vine  represent  that  all  the 
conditions  of  the  soil — humidity  and  temperature — are  united 
in  these  regions  to  produce  the  grape  in  the  greatest  perfection. 
The  soil,  composed  of  the  disintegrated  matter  of  the  older  rocks 
and  volcanic  ashes,  is  light,  porous  and  rich.  The  frosts  in  the 
winter  are  just  sufficiently  severe  to  destroy  the  insects  without 
injuring  the  plant,  and  the  rain  seldom  falls  in  the  season  the 


AGRICULTURE. 


59 


plant  is  flowering,  or  when  the  fruit  is  coming  into  maturity, 
and  liable  to  rot  from  exposure  to  humidity.  As  a  consequence 
of  these  conditions  of  things,  the  fruit,  when  ripe,  has  a  thin 
skin,  scarcely  any  pulp,  and  is  devoid  of  the  musky  taste  usual 
with  American  grapes. 

Corn  is  raised  to  a  great  extent,  and  is  a  staple  agricultural 
production  of  the  Territory.  Barley,  wheat  and  oats  do  well. 
Irish  potatoes  do  not  grow  well  anywhere  in  the  immediate  val- 
ley of  the  Rio  Grande,  but  very  fine  crops  are  produced  in  the 
mountains  and  in  the  mountain  country  generally.  Beans  do 
well,  and  are  extensively  cultivated — they  are,  indeed,  to  the 
native  what  the  potato  is  to  the  Irish.  The  onion,  particularly 
in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  is  also  cultivated  to  a  large 
extent,  and  in  the  locality  named  onions  of  a  pound  in  weight 
are  a  common  thing.  Chile,  or  pod  pepper,  of  excellent  quality 
is  raised  everywhere,  and  extensively.  It  is  said  to  excel  in 
quality  that  raised  anywhere  in  the  States,  on  account  of  its 
mild  nature,  and  is  extensively  used  in  cookery  and  as  a  stand- 
ard dish. 

From  the  Raton  mountain  to  the  Pecos  river,  near  Anton 
Chico,  160  miles,  says  General  Palmer,  the  numerous  little  val- 
leys watered  by  the  tributaries  of  the  Cimarron,  Canadian  and 
Pecos,  which  head  in  the  mountains  on  the  west,  make  the 
entire  country  productive  and  inhabitable. 

Irrigation  only  is  necessary,  and  this  is  readily  accomplished 
by  proper  appliances,  as  for  instance,  at  Kroenig's,  near  Fort 
Union,  where  the  waters  of  the  Mora  are  led  into  a  large  artifi- 
cial lake,  one-eighth  of  a  mile  in  diameter,  and  20  feet  deep, 
which  serves  to  keep  under  cultivation  2,500  acres,  on  which 
are  raised  excellent  crops  of  all  kinds  of  grain  and  vegetables 
(except  potatoes.)  The  valley  of  the  Mora  is  cultivated  for  30 
miles  above  Kroenig's,  and  13  miles  below.  Along  the  foot  of 
this  range  (Spanish  Range,)  is  a  cordon  of  small  Mexican  settle- 
ments, which  extend  from  the  Raton  mountain  to  the  Pecos 
river,  whose  inhabitants  cultivate  the  fertile  valleys  of  the  Dry 
Cimarron,  the  Vermejo,  the  Ponil,  the  Cimarron,  the  Ocate,  the 
Mora,  the  Gallinas,  Spring  Hollow,  the  Tecolote,  the  Pecos,  and 
others.  |L 

Besides  Las  Vegas,  which  has  a  population  of  2,500,  there 
are  Anton  Chico  and  18  other  towns  in  the  valley  of  the  Pecos 


60  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

alone,  within  20  miles  of  the  crossing  point  of  the  Atlantic  and 
Pacific  railroad  survey,  which  contain  a  population  ranging  from 
200  to  1,000  each. 

This  population,  which  lives  entirely  by  raising  sheep,  cattle, 
horses,  mules,  and  producing  corn,  wheat,  oats,  melons  and 
vegetables,  is  kejat  in  a  state  of  constant  alarm  and  uncertainty 
by  the  fears  of  incursions  of  the  Navajos  and  Apaches,  though 
the  time  for  these  fears,  it  is  hoped  and  believed,  Is  now  passed 
and  gone  in  New  Mexico. 

In  the  valley  of  the  Pecos,  near  Anton  Chico,  grapes,  peaches, 
and  other  fruits  are  raised,  and  the  valley  is  cultivable  for  90 
miles  below  Fort  Sumner,  and  wherever  there  is  bottom  land, 
for  90  miles  above  Anton  Chico. 

The  valley  of  the  Bio  Grande,  for  200  miles  north  and  south 
of  Alburquerque,  has  an  average  width  of  five  miles,  and  appears 
to  be  formed  of  a  highly  productive  loam,  frequently  covered 
by  a  drift  of  sand,  that  does  not,  however,  seem  to  affect  its 
fertility.  Everything  grows  luxuriantly  in  this  soil  by  irri- 
gation— for  which  the  water  of  the  river  is  used  cheaply  and 
extensively.  Wheat  yields  over  50  bushels,  and  corn  80  bushels 
to  the  acre,  and  the  finest  grapes  are  grown  in  the  greatest 
abundance  all  along  the  valley,  whose  climate  and  soil  are, 
without  doubt,  as  specially  adapted  to  the  vine  culture  as  the 
pasturage  of  the  elevated  mountain  valleys  and  mesas  or  table- 
lands of  New  Mexico  is  to  the  cheap  raising  of  good  stock. 

Crossing  the  range  at  Puntia  Pass  (called  also  Punche  Pass,) 
we  enter  the  well  watered  San  Luis  Park,  5  to  40  miles  in  width, 
which  produces  all  the  smaller  grains,  besides  having  superior 
value  for  pasturage,  excelling  the  best  grazing  lands  of  Texas. 

South  of  the  San  Luis  Park  are  numerous  branch  valleys,  the 
Taos,  the  Embudo,  Canada  Tesuque,  the  Chama,  Ojo  Caliente 
and  others,  which  join  the  Bio  Grande,  and  furnish  in  connection 
with  the  valley  land  immediately  along  that  stream,  between 
its  canons,  a  considerable  sum  total  of  arable  district,  filled  with 
the  small  towns  and  settlements  of  unenterprising  Mexicans 
and  Pueblo  Indians,  but  capable  of  supporting  a  large  population 
of  Anglo  Saxons. 

Below  the  Santa  Fe  Cafion  to  Alburquerque,  the  Bio  Grande 
has  a  broad,  fertile  valley,  such  as  has  been  heretofore  described, 
occupied  by  cornfields,  vineyards  and  orchards. 


AGRICULTURE.  61 


West  of  the  upper  Bio  Grande  and  the  San  Luis  Park,  there 
is  a  tempting  field,  which  will  be  eventually  penetrated  from 
this  line,  the  somewhat  famous  San  Juan  country  and  other 
districts,  across  to  which  the  Cochetopa,  Chama  and  other  passes 
lead,  and  which  is  now  receiving  a  large  mining  and  agricultural 
population. 

Of  this  section,  from  the  Bio  Grande  to  the  Colorado,  on  the 
route  of  the  35th  parallel,  Dr.  Parry,  naturalist,  says:  Sumcent 
is  now  known  to  characterize  it  as  at  least  self-sustaining  in  an 
agricultural  point  of  view,  and  capable  of  immense  production 
for  export  of  animal  products  from  the  proper  development  of 
its  pastoral  resources.  A  large  section  of  this  country  is  naturally 
adapted  to  fruit,  of  which  the  various  surface  exposures  may  be 
suited  to  different  varieties. 

Whipple's  rough  estimate  of  the  area  of  cultivable  soil,  wood- 
land and  pasture  on  this  division  of  the  route  within  15  miles  on 
each  side,  was  as  follows: 

Cultivable  soil, 953  square  miles. 

Woodland, 2,193  « 

Prairie  and  pasture, 11,008  « 


Total, 14,154  « 

There  was  not  as  much  known  then  of  the  country  to  the 
right  and  left  of  the  line,  and  Gen.  Palmer  regards  his  estimate 
of  cultivable  soil  as  entirely  too  low;  and  of  course  a  much 
wider  belt  than  15  miles  would  be  rendered  accessible  by  the 
construction  of  a  railroad — perhaps  100  miles  on  each  side. 

But  let  us  see  what  there  is : 

1st.  The  table  land  between  the  Bio  Grande  and  the  Puerco 
— which  is  nine  miles  wide  from  crest  to  crest ;  it  is  covered 
with  excellent  grama  grass,  but  without  water.  It  makes  a  good 
sheep  country. 

2d.  Then  ensues  the  north  and  south  valley  of  the  Puerco, 
three  miles  in  width,  whose  soil  is  very  rich  and  only  requires 
irrigating,  which  can  be  done,  as  there  is  plenty  of  water  in  the 
channel  for  eight  months  of  the  year.  Thirty  miles  above  the 
mouth  of  El  Bito  the  valley  is  one  mile  wide;  the  surveying 
parties  found  it  covered  with  luxuriant  grass,  and  the  soil  very 
fertile,  a  portion  of  which  the  Mexicans  had  under  cultivation. 

3d.  Thence  we  have  the  valley  of  the  El  Bito,  which  the 
line  follows  for  75  miles  to  the  base  of  the  Sierra  Madre.  It  is 


62  BREVOORT'S    NEW   MEXICO. 


from  one-half  to  three  miles  wide — above  Fort  Wingate  much 
wider — and  there  are  several  fertile  intersecting  valleys. 

It  is  cultivated  for  4  miles  below  the  town  of  El  Bito  by  the 
Mexicans,  and  by  the  Acoma  and  Laguna  Indians  for  10  miles 
above  Laguna,  and  at  the  foot  of  San  Mateo  mountain,  near 
Cubero,  by  the  Mexicans.  The  Indians  raise  40  bushels  of  corn 
to  the  acre,  with  very  rude  cultivation.  They  also  raise  large 
herds  of  cattle.  It  might  be  tilled  for  its  whole  length,  except 
in  the  six  mile  canon,  if  proper  measures  were  taken  to  econo- 
mize the  water,  or  to  increase  the  supply  by  artesian  wells. 

4th.  Both  slopes  of  the  Sierra  Madre  are  rich,  and  tolerably 
well  watered.  On  the  west  side,  north  of  El  Moro,  Beale  saw 
a  country  of  "  uncommon  beauty,"  with  numerous  springs  and 
water  courses. 

Fifty  miles  west  of  the  summit,  Gen.  Palmer's  party  found 
the  Zuni  Indians  cultivating  the  soil  extensively  without  irriga- 
tion, and  having  large  crops  of  corn  and  wheat,  while  every 
house  in  the  town  was  filled  with  dried  peaches  of  excellent 
quality.  Dr.  Parry  says  of  this  Zuni  valley:  It  possesses  an  in- 
exhaustible fertility,  which  it  still  maintains,  after  the  lapse  of 
centuries  far  beyond  the  historic  period.  This  is  at  an  elevation 
of  7,000  feet  above  the  sea.  We  also  saw  these  Indians  driving 
up  their  flocks  and  herds,  which  were  very  large. 

The  slopes  of  this  range  are  far  superior,  in  every  way,  to 
those  of  the  Wasatch  Range,  which  the  Mormons  have  strewn 
for  several  hundred  miles  with  a  population  amounting  to 
100,000,  converting  that  so-called  desert  into  plantations  and 
orchards. 

5th.  In  the  valley  of  Navajo  Creek  we  skirt  the  southern 
edge  of  the  "Navajo  country,"  where  General  Canby's  troops 
in  1862-63  found  immense  herds  of  stock,  and  very  numerous 
fields  of  corn  and  peach  orchards,  the  driving  off  and  des- 
truction of  which  were  the  only  means  by  which  these  intelli- 
gent and  warlike  Indians  were  finally  reduced.  Colonel  Willis, 
of  the  California  Column,  states  that  he  assisted  in  destroying 
some  of  these  corn  fields  as  low  down  as  the  vicinity  of  Navajo 
Springs,  and  that  the  corn  was  as  high  as  his  head.  Even  in 
the  dry  country,  near  Jacob's  Well,  we  saw  traces  of  an  ancient 
irrigating  canal. 

6th.     The  valley  of  the  Little  Colorado  is  next  reached,  and 


AGRICULTURE.  63 


is  followed  by  the  line  for  from  25  to  60  miles,  depending  on 
the  route  adopted.  In  this  distance  it  is  from  one  to  three  miles 
wide,  with  a  rich  alluvial  soil  and  plenty  of  water  for  irrigation. 
Grass  in  the  valley  excellent.  The  upper  valley  of  this  river, 
above  the  canon,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Zuni,  is  said  to  be  very 
beautiful,  50  miles  long,  and  from  3  to  5  miles  wide,  and  the 
Sierra  Blanca  country,  in  which  it  heads,  is  noted  for  its  beauty 
and  fertility,  as  well  as  for  its  attractive  deposits  of  gold,  which 
the  Apaches  have  prevented  all  explorers  from  remaining  long 
enough  to  develop. 

The  numerous  little  sheltered  cafions  leading  into  this  river 
above  and  below  Sunset  Crossing,  are  especially  adapted  to  fruit 
culture,  also  to  wheat.  There  is  a  vast  extent  of  attractive 
country  in  the  heavily  timbered  Mogoyon  mountains,  south  from 
this  part  of  the  surveyed  route. 

?th.  For  the  next  100  miles,  in  crossing  the  Mogoyon  Range, 
we  have  the  finest  country  met  with,  perhaps,  on  our  entire 
route.  It  is  the  famous  San  Francisco  Mountain  country,  mag- 
nificently timbered,  well  watered,  and  covered  winter  and 
summer  with  the  most  nutritious  grama  grass.  Its  soil, 
black  and  rich  from  the  decomposition  of  the  lava  that  has 
been  ejected  in  immense  quantities  from  the  extinct  crater  of 
Mt.  Agassiz,  will  produce,  without  irrigation,  wheat,  barley, 
oats  and  potatoes  in  the  heaviest  crops.  The  summit  and  slopes 
of  this  range,  which  lies  partly  in  eastern  Arizona,  are  dotted 
everywhere  with  beautiful  little  grassy  parks,  openings  in  the 
virgin  forest  of  gigantic  pines  which  cover  the  mountain.  On 
all  sides  rise  tall,  volcanic  peaks,  emulating  the  central  figure, 
Mount  Agassiz,  whose  crown,  far  above  the  timber  line,  seemed 
to  be  just  topped  with  snow,  as  late  as  the  middle  of  December. 

This  is  the  country  of  which  Beale  declares:  It  is  the  most 
beautiful  region  I  ever  remember  to  have  seen  in  any  part  of 
the  world.  A  vast  forest  of  gigantic  pines,  intersected  fre- 
quently by  extensive  open  glades,  sprinkled  all  over  with 
mountain  meadows,  and  wide  savannahs,  filled  with  the  richest 
grasses,  was  traversed  by  our  party  for  many  successive  days. 

And  Dr.  Parry  says:  We  have  in  these  elevated  districts  a 
climate  favoring  a  growth  of  trees,  a  more  equable  distribution 
of  rain  and  precipitation  of  dew  throughout  the  year,  especially 
adapted  to  the  production  of  nutritious  grasses  and  the  cultvation 


64  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

of  grain  without  resorting  to  expensive  processes  of  irriga- 
tion. These  desirable  climatic  features  are  especially  noticeable 
along  the  elevated  slopes  of  the  San  Fiancisco  mountain,  where 
magnificent  pine  slopes  are  agreeably  interspersed  with  beautiful 
grassy  valleys  and  parks,  numerous  springs,  and  a  delightfully 
invigorating  atmosphere. 

The  most  attractive  place  of  summer  resort  on  the  line  of 
the  road  is  at  Mt.  Agassiz.  It  has  every  attraction;  health, 
scenery,  sky,  water,  elevation,  climate,  and  proximity  to  the 
greatest  natural  curiosity  known  on  this  continent — the  "Grand 
Canon"  of  the  Colorado  River,  from  which  it  is  distant  some  40 
or  50  miles. 

8th.  In  descending  the  lower  slope  of  the  Mogoyon  Range  on 
the  west,  we  enter  a  drier  and  more  sandy  country,  pretty  well 
covered  with  thickets  of  cedar  and  piflon,  to  which  the  great 
pine  forests  give  way.  The  soil,  however,  is  rich,  and  only 
requires  irrigation,  which  can  be  readily  secured  by  damming 
the  numerous  canons  with  which  this  district  is  filled,  and 
thereby  preserving  the  supply  of  water,  of  which  there  is  an 
infinite  quantity  in  the  spring  (as  also  during  the  summer  rains). 

The  grazing  is  perhaps  equally  fine  on  this  section,  as  higher 
up  on  the  slopes  of  the  Mogoyon  mountains,  in  the  beautiful 
region  just  described,  the  similarity  of  the  country  being  pre- 
served, both  in  western  New  Mexico  and  eastern  Arizona. 

General  Palmer,  in  speaking  of  his  survey  of  the  35th  parallel 
railroad  route  through  New  Mexico,  says :  Thus,  we  pass  from  the 
middle  state  productions  of  Kansas,  to  the  country  of  the  vine 
and  of  semi-tropical  fruits;  from  the  bracing  summits  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  Sierra  Nevadas  and  Mount  Agassiz,  to  where 
winter  is  rarely  known,  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  and 
never  in  the  valley  of  the  Colorado,  to  cotton  and  sugar  in  the 
latter,  and  oranges  and  pomegranates  on  the  western  foot-hills 
of  the  Sierra  Nevada.  It  may  be  repeated  that  the  value  of 
the  grazing,  and  of  general  agriculture,  is  greatly  enhanced  by 
the  mildness  of  the  climate.  The  grass  is  nearly  as  good  in  win- 
ter as  in  summer,  and  the  animals  of  our  surveying  party  were 
taken  through  and  returned  over  the  most  elevated  and  moun- 
tainous part  of  the  route,  from  October  to  May,  finding  every- 
where an  abundance  of  the  best  grazing. 

But  this  remote  country  has  been  carelessly  charged  with  being 


AGRICUT/TURE.  65 


a  desert,  and  unfit  for  extensive  settlement.  It  has  been  said 
that  the  western  tide  of  emigration  in  the  United  States  must 
stop  somewhere  in  the  vicinity  of  the  100th  meridian,  and  make 
one  leap  across  to  the  coast  of  California.  This  was  natural 
when  the  country  was  so  little  known.  The  question  of  its 
future  'capabilities,  as  deduced  from  a  scientific  view  of  its  char- 
acteristics, is  so  ably  treated  by  the  geologist  of  the  expedition, 
Dr.  Parry,  in  his  report,  that  it  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add  any- 
thing thereto.  It  may  be  pointed  out,  however,  that  it  so  hap- 
pens that  nearly  all  the  tribes  of  Indians  on  this  route,  the 
Navajos,  Zuiiians,  Moquis,  Mojaves,  and  even  the  Piutes  and 
Apaches,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  cultivate  the  soil.  The  Zuni 
Indians  had  plenty  of  corn  and  dried  fruits  to  sell  us  as  we 
passed  their  town. 

The  country  has  looked  with  wonder  on  what  has  been  done 
by  the  Mormons  in  Salt  Lake  Basin  on  the  slopes  of  the  Wahsatch 
Range.  But  the  slopes  of  the  Sierra  Ma^re  will,  when  this  line 
crosses  it,  build  up  numerous  larger  settlements  than  those  of 
Utah,  within  five  years  after  the  completion  of  the  road;  and 
the  parks  of  Mt.  Agassiz,  to  which  the  Mormons  are  already 
talking  of  emigrating  from  Southern  Utah,  will,  independently 
of  any  mining  interest,  attract  and  support  a  very  large  agri- 
cultural population.  We  have,  indeed,  on  this  route,  a  contin- 
uous extent  of  comparatively  elevated  country,  which  affords 
the  moisture  that  makes  the  country  inhabitable  and  attractive, 
and  gives  timber  growth,  and  when  the  line  descends  it  enters 
into  great  valleys  with  large  streams,  like  the  Bio  Grande,  the 
Great  Colorado,  Little  Colorado  and  Tulare  valleys. 

It  should  also  be  remembered,  in  connection  with  this  ques- 
tion, that  on  a  portion  of  this  route,  and  accessible  theretor  a 
considerable  population  already  exists — 110,000  in  New  Mexico, 
probably  over  1,000,000  in  the  northern  states  of  Old  Mexico, 
which  will  be  supplied  from  this  line,  50,000  in  Colorado,  with- 
out mentioning  the  smaller  but  energetic  Indian -harrassed 
settlements  of  Arizona,  and  the  rapidly  increasing  population  of 
Southern  California.  The  Santa  Fe  trade  is  already  large,  and 
even  on  the  present  basis,  a  railroad  would  find  considerable 
business  in  supplying  the  wants  of  this  population. 

The  mere  fact  that  mining  can  be  carried  on  at  all  in  New 
Mexico  and  Arizona,  under  all  the  discouragements  of  costly 

5 


66  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

transportation,  Indian  attacks,  and  remoteness  from  the  con- 
veniences of  life  is,  to  the  thinking  mind,  strong  evidence  that, 
with  these  drawbacks  removed,  through  the  agency  of  a  rail- 
road, the  development  of  mining  industry  would  be  enlarged 
in  an  extraordinary  degree.  While  only  the  larger  and  richer 
veins  can  now  be  profitably  worked,  when  the  cost  of  transpor- 
tation is  reduced  to  one-fifth,  and  the  risk  to  property  and  life 
removed  by  the  settlement  of  the  Indian  question,  capital  will 
find  it  advantageous  to  open  up  the  smaller  and  less  productive 
veins,  and,  as  these  are  much  more  abundant  and  wide  spread 
than  the  richer  ones,  the  field  of  mining  industry  will  thus  at 
once  be  much  more  than  proportionately  enlarged. 

Along  the  whole  valley  of  the  Kio  Grande,  from  El  Paso 
northward  to  the  latitude  of  Santa  Fe,  is  to  be  found  one  of  the 
best  wine-growing  districts  in  the  world.  The  native  wine  of 
New  Mexico  is  a  very  popular  one  among  those  who  have  tested 
it.  It  is  exported  from  the  Territory  for  sale  in  the  states,  and 
will  in  due  time  become  widely  sought  after  by  the  wine-drink- 
ing world.  It  is  of  this  wine  that  the  United  States  Surveyor 
General  for  New  Mexico  in  his  annual  report  for  1869  says: 
"  Yearly  new  vineyards  are  coming  into  bearing,  counting  their 
vines  by  the  thousands,  while  the  production  of  wine  is  annu- 
ally becoming  more  and  more  an  article  of  commerce  and  profit. 
Between  Bernalillo  on  the  north  and  El  Paso  on  the  south,  the 
traveller  may  find — and  that  often  in  great  perfection — both  the 
light  white  and  red  wines  of  the  Rhine  and  Bordeaux,  and  as 
he  goes  south,  the  heavier  Burgundy,  port,  sherry,  and  with 
age,  even  a  good  Madeira.  With  a  grape  acclimated  by  two 
hundred  years'  cultivation,  unexcelled  for  richness  and  luscious- 
ness  of  flavor,  always  free  from  blight  and  disease  of  every  kind, 
so  destructive  to  European  vineyards,  so  fatal  to  wine-growing 
on  the  Atlantic  slope,  and  often  so  damaging  even  to  California, 
with  a  soil  as  rich  as  that  of  the  Nile,  with  abundance  of  water 
for  irrigation,  and  with  sunny  days  and  dewless  nights,  increas- 
ing in  strength  as  the  summer  heats  increase,  the  wines  of  the 
Rio  Grande  promise  to  become  as  varied  and  as  excellent  as  those 
of  fiance  and  Spain." 

The  variable  conditions  of  climate  and  soil  necessarily  deter- 
mine the  character  of  agricultural  capacity  or  adaptation  for 
grazing.  A  certain  degree  of  elevation  in  this  medium  latitude 


AGRICULTURE.  67 


of  35°  is  necessary  to  secure  atmospheric  moisture,  favorable  to 
the  growth  of  trees  or  nutritious  grasses.  Districts  thus  elevated 
are  especially  adapted  to  the  growth  of  small  grain,  while  the 
lower  alluvial  valleys  deriving  their  main  supplies  of  water  from 
these  higher  sources,  are  best  suited  to  the  growth  of  corn, 
fruits,  and  other  staples  requiring  a  higher  temperature  and 
longer  growing  season.  Hence,  the  mountain  districts  and 
higher  alluvial  slopes  present  a  well  marked  district  adapted  to 
the  growth  of  timber,  small  grain  and  summer  grazing,  while 
the  lower  valleys  supply  farming  lands  suitable  for  corn,  vine- 
yards and  orchards,  and  offer  desirable  locations  for  permanent 
settlement.  Over  all  this  section  of  country,  except  the  more 
arid  tracts,  the  uplands  are  occupied  with  a  peculiar  growth  of 
grasses  and  shrubbery,  especially  adapted  to  stock  raising.  The 
great  variety  of  these  different  exposures,  according  to  their 
elevation  or  geological  structure,  occasions  a  prominent  differ- 
ence in  their  relative  capacity  for  supporting  animal  life. 

Thus  certain  desert  tracts,  on  which,  during  the  greater  part 
of  the  year,  no  animal  could  live  on  account  of  absence  of 
water,  and  scarcity  of  grass,  during  a  short  rainy  season  may  be 
clothed  with  a  verdure  capable  of  sustaining  immense  herds. 
Again  the  lower  valleys,  which  in  the  winter  season  afford  shel- 
ter and  pasturage  for  stock,  which  can  be  kept  in  good  condi- 
tion on  the  refuse  of  agricultural  fields,  become  parched 
and  oppressively  warm  in  the  summer  season,  so  that  the  fresh 
pasturage  of  the  high  mountain  ridges  is  preferable.  Hence, 
successful  stock  raising  in  this  central  district  will  naturally  be 
more  or  less  of  a  roving  character,  and  be  carried  on  by  a  class 
of  shepherds  and  herders  adapted  to  the  nomadic  mode  of  life. 
When  thus  regulated,  agricultural  and  pastoral  pursuits  profita- 
bly complement  each  other,  and  both  unite  to  sustain  the  largest 
population,  and  yield  the  greatest  amount  of  surplus  products  of 
which  this  section  is  capable.  Sufficient  is  now  known  of  the 
central  section  of  country  now  under  special  consideration,  to 
characterize  it  as  at  least  self-sustaining  in  an  agricultural  point  of 
view,  and  capable  of  immense  production  for  export  of  animalpro- 
ducts,  from  the  proper  develpement  of  its  pastoral  resources.  In 
the  valley  of  the  Colorado  the  semi-tropical  character  of  the 
climate  adapts  it  to  the  growth  of  staple  products  pertaining  to 
warm  countries,  including  especially  cotton,  hemp,  tobacco,  and 


68  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

sub-tropical  fruits,  while  the  mild  winter  seasons  admit  the  suc- 
cessful growth  of  wheat,  which  may  be  harvested  before  the 
period  of  river  overflow,  to  be  succeeded  the  same  season  by  a 
late  maturing  corn  crop.  A  large  section  of  this  country  is 
naturally  adapted  to  fruit,  of  which  the  various  surface  expos- 
ures may  be  suited  to  different  varieties.  The  cultivated  grape 
has  long  been  successfully  raised  in  the  alluvial  bottoms  of  the 
Eio  Grande,  and  also  seems  particularly  adapted  to  sections 
where  volcanic  rocks  are  exposed  on  the  surface,  the  decompo- 
sition of  which  supplies  a  large  proportion  of  potash,  necessary 
to  perfect  the  rich,  vinous  juices  adapted  to  wine  making. 
Peaches  are  extensively  raised  by  the  Pueblo  Indians  in  the 
sheltered  valleys  and  canons  of  the  district  they  inhabit,  where, 
without  any  special  care  or  resort  to  irrigation,  they  produce 
abundantly  and  attain  a  great  age.  The  native  fruits,  including 
especially  the  Cacti,  have  an  agreeably  acid  flavor,  and  might 
by  cultivation  be  so  improved  as  to  add  an  important  item  to  the 
wholesome  diet  of  this  region.  They  are  already  much  used  and 
esteemed  in  Sonora,  Sinaloa,  etc. 


STOCK-RAISING  IN  NEW  MEXICO. 

For  the  profitable  raising  of  horses,  mules,  cattle,  goats  and 
sheep,  on  the  most  extensive  scale,  no  portion  of  the  world  can 
rival  this  district.  Its  mild  climate  presents  no  rigors,  while 
its  mountain  slopes,  valleys,  and  plains  are  unlimited  ranges  of 
excellent  pasturage.  The  grasses  of  the  plains  and  mountain 
slopes  are  not  the  least  of  nature's  wonder.  The  "  grama"  and 
"mezquite"  varieties  have  a  peculiar  tenacity  to  life,  and 
survive  a  succession  of  dry  seasons,  and,  when  aparently  dead, 
a  few  showers  will  bring  them  out  in  full  freshness,-  indeed,  it 
is  said,  they  change  from  a  single  shower.  These  grasses  are 
sweet  and  nutritious,  dry  or  green,  and  cattle  thrive  upon  them 
and  fatten.  They  cure  in  the  dry  season,  in  the  stalks,  making 
a  natural  hay. 


STOCK    BAISING.  69 


About  the  year  1540,  a  small  lot  of  Spanish  Merino  sheep 
were  introduced  into  this  country  from  Spain,  and  from  this 
importation  the  present  sheep,  owned  mainly  by  our  Mexican 
citizens  and  the  Pueblo  and  Navajo  Indians,  were  derived. 
Owing  to  the  constant  " breeding  in"  without  much  change  in 
the  stock,  or  attempts  at  improvement,  these  sheep  have  degen- 
erated and  decreased  in  size  and  quality  of  wool;  yet  in  various 
respects  the  mutton  and  wool  of  New  Mexico  is  better  than 
that  of  the  States;  this  arises  from  the  fact  thatch  e  climate  and 
grasses  are  adapted  to  this  class  of  animals  and  it  shows  the 
advantage  of  this  country  over  other  portions  of  our  land  for  the 
rearing  of  this  kind  of  stock.  At  the  commencement  of  the 
rebellion,  sheep  owners  were  raising  their  stock  not  for  the 
wool,  but  for  the  meat,  which  was  of  better  flavor,  and  more 
nutritious  than  the  mutton  of  the  States.  The  wool  was  allowed 
to  go  to  waste  and  be  dragged  off  the  sheep's  back  while  passing 
through  the  brush.  It  was  thought  that  the  prices  of  meat 
would  decline  at  the  close  of  the  war,  and  some  of  our  wise  men 
in  New  Mexico  now  say,  produce  sheep  and  wool  in  the  ratio 
you  propose,  and  increase  the  quality  and  quantity  of  the  meat, 
and  you  will  reduce  the  price  so  that  it  will  not  pay  to  raise 
sheep  in  New  Mexico,  for  this  cannot  be  the  case  for  many 
years  to  come.  The  demand  for  long  wool  both  in  Europe  and 
in  this  country  (for  it  is  evident  that  in  England  the  supply  of 
combing  wools  is  not  sufficient  for  the  demand),  will  make 
combing  wools  an  article  which  will  be  a  source  of  wealth  to  the 
producer  for  many  years  yet  in  the  future. 

Our  shores  are  swarming,  and  for  years  will  swarm  as  never 
before,  with  foreign  immigrants,  hungry  for  meat,  however 
poverty  may  have  stinted  their  former  supply.  All  these 
mouths,  and  those  of  millions  unborn,  are  to  be  supplied  in  the 
years  of  the  immediate  future.  With  what  shall  we  feed  them? 
Not  with  pork,  becoming  vastly  dearer  with  the  increased  price 
of  corn;  not  altogether  with  beef,  while  there  is  such  a  demand 
for  wool,  and  just  precisely  the  kind  of  wool  produced  by 
mutton  sheep.  We  must  have  mutton;  and  sensible  men  with 
money  in  their  pockets  will  pay  prices  that  must  command  good 
mutton,  and  render  its  production  higly  profitable.  Conditions 
now  exist  favoring  adequate  remuneration  in  this  branch  of 
husbandry  that  have  never  before  been  brought  together  in  so 


70  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

potent  a  combination  in  New  Mexico.  There  is  an  opportunity 
to  achieve  a  fame  and  a  success  in  this  direction  in  a  field  as  yet 
almost  entirely  new,  that  should  engage  the  effort,  capital  and 
ambition  of  the  enterprising;  and  there  is  little  doubt  that 
it  will  be  promptly  and  successfully  occupied  by  strangers,  if  our 
own  citizens  do  not  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity. 

Those,  therefore,  who  now  commence  with  judgment  and 
energy  the  production  of  real  superior  mutton  and  combing 
wools  in  New  Mexico,  will  reap  an  abundant  harvest  of  profit, 
and  the  earlier  the  start,  the  quicker  the  reward,  and  that  it  will 
engage  the  attention  of  enterprising  people,  and  meet  their  just 
expectations  there  is  no  room  for  doubt. 

The  peculiar  suitability  of  the  country  to  the  raising  of  the 
various  kinds  of  stock,  will  in  future  years  make  New  Mexico 
a  country  whence  large  supplies  of  meat  for  food,  and  wools  for 
manufacturing  clothing,  will  be  derived,  and  which  will  be  a 
great  source  of  wealth  to  our  citizens,  while  it  will  furnish 
healthy  food  for  the  dwellers  in  our  large  cities  east  of  the 
Territory. 

The  natural  configuration  of  this  vast  Rocky  Mountain  region 
is  not  the  least  of  the  many  desirable  advantages  it  presents. 
It  is  situated  many  thousand  feet  above  tide  water,  fanned  by 
the  purest  atmosphere,  and  supplied  with  innumerable  salubrious 
streams  running  from  the  mountain  springs,  and  furnishing  pure 
water,  one  of  the  essential  elements  for  the  sustenance  of  both 
man  and  beast.  This  country  having  a  high  and  dry  range,  so 
conducive  to  the  health  of  all  animals,  especially  sheep,  which 
animal,  if  properly  reared  and  improved,  will  prove  a  greater 
source  of  wealth  than  even  our  untold  and  vast  mineral  deposits. 
The  one  we  have  in  the  earth — the  means  of  producing  the 
other  we  have  on  the  earth.  The  succession  of  mountain  and 
valley  affords  the  most  ample  defence  against  the  heat  of 
summer,  as  well  as  the  bleak  winds  of  winter;  artificial  pro- 
tection indispensable  at  the  north  and  necessary  in  many  of  the 
states  of  the  Union,  which  is  so  apt  to  induce  disease  by  which 
whole  flocks  and  herds  are  sometimes  lost,  are  rendered  unnec- 
essary in  our  more  favored  country,  New  Mexico.  Our  mesas 
and  mountain  gorges,  and  many  portions  of  our  valleys,  are 
most  prolific  in  a  variety  of  herbage  suitable  for  all  classes  of 
animals,  but  especially  adapted  to  sheep,  and  during  winter 


STOCK    RAISING.  71 


they  afford  a  supply  of  pasturage  so  abundant  that  no  additional 
food  is  required.  The  animals  can  have  access  to  a  continuous 
supply  of  good  food  and  pure  water  during  the  winter,  and  by  a 
judicious  management  the  only  expense  of  rearing  sheep  and 
cattle  in  this  country  is  the  hire  of  herders,  which  is  compara- 
tively a  trifle. 

The  constant  supply  of  proper  food  by  which  the  secretory 
powers  are  retained  in  full  action  and  uninterrupted  increase  of 
meat  and  fat  in  animals,  and  of  growth  of  wool  on  sheep,  is 
promoted;  while  cases  of  constipation,  and  various  diseases 
frequently  fatal  in  the  states  by  reason  of  sudden  changes  of 
food,  are  unknown  here;  there  is  scarcely  a  day  in  the  year  in 
which  cattle  and  sheep  cannot  find  here  sufficient  food  of  a 
proper  kind  to  keep  their  digestive  organs  in  a  healthy  con- 
dition. The  soil  in  our  mountain  regions  is  generally  good, 
and  it  is  by  no  means  uncommon  to  find  it  fertile  and  producing 
grama  grass  even  to  the  tops  of  the  mountains;  and  although 
there  are  to  be  found  considerable  bodies  of  thin  soil,  yet  even 
are  these  more  disposed  to  the  production  of  grass  than  lands  of 
a  better  quality  in  the  states.  My  experience,  remarks  Governor 
Arny,  for  over  thirty-five  years  in  Virginia,  Pennsylvania,  and 
Illinois,  Kansas  and  New  Mexico  corroborate,  what  is  well 
known  to  all  sheep  raisers,  that,  when  lands  are  freely  pastured 
by  sheep,  their  capacity  for  producing  grass  is  much  assisted,  as 
by  close  grazing  the  more  useless  grasses,  briars,  etc.,  are  sub- 
dued, and  the  desirable  descriptions  allowed  to  strengthen  their 
hold;  this,  together  with  the  tramping  of  the  land  and  the 
droppings  of  the  sheep,  induces  a  more  prolific  growth  of  good 
grass. 

"  In  my  travels  over  a  large  expanse  of  country  within  the 
limits  of  New  Mexico  and  the  eastern  borders  of  Arizona,"  con- 
tinues Governor  Arny,  "I  have  found  growing  wild  clover,  and 
several  varieties  of  grass  which  indicate  that  they  can  be  pro- 
duced in  this  country  by  cultivation.  It  is  only  a  question  of 
time  and  the  construction  of  railroads  when  this  country,  in 
addition  to  its  native  grasses,  which  may  be  greatly  increased, 
will  have  large  meadows  and  pasture  grounds  of  cultivated 
grasses,  and  it  has  been  for  nearly  forty  years  a  favorite  theory 
of  mine,  confirmed  by  my  practical  observation,  that  so  far  as 
the  quality  and  relative  coarseness  and  fineness  of  wool  is  con- 


72  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

cerned,  more  depends  upon  the  character  of  the  grass  than  upon 
any  one  other  thing,  except  it  may  be  the  constant  change  of  the 
breeding  animals.  A  stock  raiser  may  determine  by  a  judicious 
selection  of  his  breed,  and  the  character  of  the  grass  he  allows 
them  to  use  for  food,  the  quality  and  quantity  of  the  wool  his 
flock  of  sheep  will  produce,  and  of  course  the  quality  of  his  wool 
will  regulate  the  price  he  will  get  in  the  market,  and  determine 
the  profit  arising  from  the  investment  of  his  capital.  This  is 
especially  so  in  regard  to  sheep,  but  is  also  to  a  great  extent 
applicable  to  horses,  cattle,  goats  and  hogs." 

Referring  to  Governor  Arny's  remark  about  wild  clover,  we 
may  mention  that  this  excellent  feed  for  animals  is  not  only 
found  here  wild,  but  when  cultivated  yields  in  extraordinary 
abundance;  and  alfalfa,  or  Mexican  clover,  is  raised  throughout 
the  Territory,  yielding  in  the  southern  portion  as  many  as  five 
cuttings  a  season,  and  at  the  altitude  of  Santa  Fe,  near  7000  feet, 
three  and  four  cuttings  are  produced.  Though  alfalfa  is  exten- 
sively cultivated  and  sought  after  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  it  is  not 
so  here,  owing  to  our  extensive  and  superior  pasturages,  and  is 
in  New  Mexico  cultivated  as  yet  only  in  small  patches  for  the 
use  of  farm  animals. 

The  report  of  the  Commissioner  of  the  General  Land  Office, 
for  1868,  says  of  New  Mexico: — 

Grass  abounds  in  every  portion  of  this  Territory,  and  even 
in  the  forests  grows  luxuriantly  the  entire  year.  At  great  alti- 
tudes this  grass  is  in  winter-time  covered  with  snow,  though 
not  deadened  to  the  ground,  for,  as  soon  as  the  snow  melts,  it 
affords  excellent  grazing  upon  the  mesas  (table  lands,)  and  through 
the  valleys  grows  the  justly  celebrated  grama  grass,  which  is 
cured  as  it  stands,  affording  abundant  food  for  flocks  and  herds 
throughout  the  winter.  *  *  *  *  *  * 

The  facilities  and  cheapness  of  raising  sheep  and  goats,  ap- 
plies equally  well  to  the  raising  of  horses  and  cattle,  and,  when 
fully  protected  from  Indian  depredations,  and  convenient  trans- 
portation is  afforded  to  the  markets  of  the  east  by  the  construc- 
tion of  railroads,  the  hills  and  mountains  will  be  literally  cov- 
ered with  flocks  and  herds. 

No  department  connected  with  the  breeding  of  domestic 
animals  in  New  Mexico  has  received  so  little  attention  as  the 
production  of  first  class  horses.  While  we  have  in  the  Territory 


STOCK   RAISING.  73 


all  kinds  of  horseflesh,  and  some  very  hardy  and  splendid  rid- 
ing animals,  derived  from  California  and  the  wild  native  ponies 
of  the  country,  "broncos"  and  " mustangs,"  we  have  scarcely 
any  thorough  bred  or  blood  horses,  and  very  little  is  known  by 
our  farmers  in  regard  to  the  improvement  of  our  horses. 

The  " native  stock"  of  our  cattle  would  be  much  improved 
by  the  introduction  for  beef  or  the  dairy  of  the  short  horn  Dur- 
hams,  Ayrshire,  Devons,  Herefords,  and  Jersey  or  Channel 
Island  cattle.  The  short  horns  are  generally  the  greatest  favor- 
ites for  beef  from  their  large  size  and  early  maturity,  though 
not  making  so  fine  beef  as  the  Devons  or  Herefords.  Those  of 
our  people  who  wish  to  improve  their  stock  of  cattle  would  do 
well  to  procure  the  several  volumes  of  the  American  Herd  Book, 
and  acquaint  themselves  with  the  best  animals  to  improve  our 
native  breeds. 

A  correspondent  of  the  Santa  Fe  New  Mexican,  writing  re- 
cently on  the  subject  of  sheep  and  sheep  raising,  states  as  follows 
for  the  information  of  numerous  persons  in  Colorado  and  east- 
ern States,  who  had  been  writing  out  to  New  Mexico  for  reliable 
data  on  the  subject : — 

"  The  best  native  ewes  can  be  bought  for  two  dollars  a 
head  in  greenbacks,  and  delivered  to  purchaser  within  75  or  80 
miles  from  here  without  additional  charge.  For  a  herd  of  10,000 
sheep,  five  herders  are  necessary,  two  of  them  should  be  mounted 
by  the  owner  of  the  herd,  the  others  go  on  foot.  The  man  in 
charge  of  herd  (mayordomo)  gets  about  $40,  the  others  from  $8 
to  $11  and  rations  a  month.  The  herd  being  always  moving 
from  one  watering  or  grazing  place  to  another,  seldom  stopping 
in  the  same  camp  two  consecutive  days,  provisions  in  bulk  (ex- 
cept fresh  meat  for  which  sheep  from  the  herd  are  used,)  are 
issued  to  the  herders  as  often  as  convenient.  The  cost  of  one 
month's  rations  for  one  man  is  about  $7.  Six  jackasses  to  carry 
the  rations  and  camp  outfit,  which  cost  about  $15  each,  and  the 
necessary  arms  and  ammunition  are  furnished  by  the  owner 
of  the  herd.  An  excellent  breed  of  "  shepherd  dog"  is  used 
here.  From  1st  to  15th  November,  the  bucks  are  put  among 
the  ewes — then  the  number  of  herders  should  be  increased  50 
per  cent,  for  two  months,  to  prevent  their  running  during  this 
the  rutting  season.  From  about  the  15th  of  April  to  the  last  of 
May,  the  lambing  season,  most  important  of  all,  herders  should 


74  BBEVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

be  increased  to  five  for  every  one  thousand  head  of  ewes,  or  fifty 
men  for  the  herd,  these  extra  herders  to  be  kept  about  six  weeks, 
and  are  usually  paid  the  same  or  possibly  a  little  more  per  month 
than  the  regular  herders  are,  and  can  always  be  hired  from  the 
settlements.  AJbout  1500  bucks  are  necessary  for  the  10,000 
ewes;  they  cost  about  $1.25  to  $1.50  a  head.  Some  of  our  more 
intelligent  sheep  owners  are  now  bringing  Cotswold  and  other 
fine  blooded  bucks  to  improve  the  breed.  Average  increase  in 
live  sheep  at  the  end  of  the  year  from  75  to  80  per  cent.  Two 
to  three  year  old  common  Mexican  mixed  sheep,  bucks  and 
ewes,  yield  an  average  of  one  and  a-half  pounds  of  wool  a 
year.  This  statement  is  made  in  a  liberal  spirit  towards  the 
sheep  raiser,  so  that  he  will  find  on  coming  here,  that  while  all 
the  prices  for  cost  and  herding  are  full,  the  ratio  of  increase  and 
weight  of  fleece  is  estimated  rather  low.  The  table  lands  and  hill 
sides  are  abundantly  supplied  with  a  variety  of  nutritive  grasses, 
which  being  cured  by  the  operation  of  the  climate,  afford  ex- 
cellent pasturage  throughout  the  year.  The  most  valuable  and 
widely  distributed  of  these  is  the  grama  grass,  its  peculiar  value 
consisting  in  its  adaptation  to  all  the  requirements  of  an  arid 
climate.  It  grows  during  the  rainy  season  and  ripens  a  large 
quantity  of  seed  as  the  dry  season  approaches,  while  the  leaf 
and  stem  retain  most  of  their  nutritive  qualities  in  drying,  form- 
ing superior  feed  for  sheep  during  the  entire  season.  The  herds- 
men and  shepherds  of  New  Mexico  being  thus  furnished  with 
natural  pasturage  through  the  winter  months,  have  a  great  ad- 
vantage over  the  sheepraiser  of  the  northern  and  southern  states, 
who  are  obliged  to  expend  much  of  their  time  and  labor  in  the 
preparation  of  food  to  sustain  their  sheep  during  the  winter 
months,  nor  is  any  shelter  necessary.  The  immense  range 
afforded  by  the  extensive  pastures  of  New  Mexico  has  a  very 
beneficial  effect  on  the  health  of  sheep,  the  diseases  common  to 

many  localities  are  here  almost  unknown." 

• 

A  very  large  proportion  of  the  present  stock  of  sheep  of  New 
Mexico  are  the  descendants  of  the  Spanish  Merino  of  other 
days.  The  ewes  are  small,  weighing  about  33  pounds  average, 
with  coarse  wool,  but  celebrated  as  remarkable  breeders,  hardy 
and  healthy  the  year  round,  and  adapted  to  breed  or  cross  with 
the  imported  Cotswold  and  Merino  bucks,  as  has  been  proven 
by  actual  experiment  during  the  past  few  years.  The  former 


STOCK   RAISING.  75 


are  purchased  in  the  Territory  at  an  average  price  of  $2  per 
head  for  breeding  purposes,  in  the  months  of  August,  September 
October  and  November.  When  bought  with  lamb  running,  or 
pregnant,  $1  per  head  extra  is  charged  usually.  Wethers,  for  mut- 
ton 1J  to  5  years  old,  mixed  lots  and  ages,  $1.25  to  $1.75  per  head; 
imported  Canada  bucks,  $30  each;  Spanish  ewes,  purchased  in 
Chihuahua,  and  on  Mexican  soil,  400  to  600  miles  distant,  can 
be  had,  duty  (20  per  cent.)  paid,  for  $1.10  to  $1.65  per  head  in 
specie,  including  expense  of  driving,  which  must  be  done  by 
experienced  parties. 

Regarding  cattle,  large  numbers  of  mixed  grades  are  driven 
yearly  from  Texas,  following  up  the  Pecos  river,  when  reached, 
to  a  point  120  to  200  miles  from  Santa  F6,  where  the  stock  is 
rested  and  grazed,  usually  until  the  middle  of,  and  sometimes 
until  after  the  rainy  season,  when,  as  a  general  thing,  the  herds 
begin  to  move  towards  Colorado  and  a  market.  During  the  in- 
terval of  resting,  the  herds  accumulate,  and  prices  range  as  fol- 
lows: yearlings,  $5  to  $7;  twos,  $9  to  $11;  threes  and  cows,  $13 
to  $15;  bullocks,  4  years  old  and  upwards,  $18  to  $22. 

We  have  mountain,  valley  and  extensive  rolling  prairie  lands 
adapted  for  pastoral  purposes.  No  hay,  shelter  or  grain  is  pro- 
vided for  stock,  yet  we  can  boast  of  as  fine,  fat  beef  and  mutton 
as  is  pastoral-raised  anywhere  in  the  world. 

The  Cimarron  News  of  this  spring,  in  concluding  an  article 
on  sheep  grazing  in  New  Mexico,  remarks  : 

*  *  *         "In  New  Mexico  the  per  centage  of 

increase  being  commonly  measured  simply  by  the  productive 
powers  of  the  flocks.  This  brings  us  to  say,  that  the  preeminent 
advantages  which  New  Mexico  offers  to  wool  growers  are  fast 
becoming  known  and  appreciated.  Within  the  last  six  months 
a  large  number  of  enterprising  men  from  California  have  come 
here  for  the  purpose  of  engaging  in  the  sheep  business,  and 
from  them  we  learn  that  there  will  soon  J>e  a  large  immigration 
from  that  quarter.  The  fact  is  the  sheep  ranges  have  become 
almost  exhausted  in  many  portions  of  that  state.  By  excessive 
grazing  the  native  grasses  have  been  killed,  while  the  price  of 
land  has  become  so  great  as  to  very  materially  reduce  the  profits 
of  the  business.  In  casting  about  for  a  new  field  of  operations, 
these  men  have  decided  upon  New  Mexico  as  being  in  all 
respects  superior  to  any  other  known  region.  The  united  testi- 


76  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

mony  of  those  men  who  come  here  is,  that  the  mild  climate,  the 
excellence  of  the  grasses,  and  the  extended  ranges  which  we  pos- 
sess, render  this  country  the  most  desirable  location  in  the  United 
States  for  their  business.  We  may  expect  to  see  many  large  flocks  of 
fine  sheep  brought  into  this  county  during  the  coming  season, 
and  we  welcome  them  as  valuable  additions  to  the  production  of 
the  region.  There  is  ample  room  for  all  who  want  to  come. 
From  the  mountains  to  the  Texas  border  there  is  one  continuous 
and  magnificent  range,  in  any  portion  of  which  may  be  found 
water,  shelter  and  grass.  There  is  no  doubt  that  a  few  years 
will  see  New  Mexico  the  greatest  wool  producing  state  in  the 
Union,  and  the  present  influx  of  enterprising  Californians, 
having  both  capital  and  experience,  will  be  an  important  factor 
in  the  achievement  of  that  important  result." 


METALS  AND    MINING-,   HOT    SPRINGS,  Etc. 

The  great  wealth  of  New  Mexico,  in  the  precious,  as  well  as 
in  many  of  the  baser  metals  and  stones,  is  every  day  becoming 
more  and  more  an  admitted  fact.  All  intelligent  observers  of 
the  mineral  indications  here  concur  in  pronouncing  them  at 
least  equal  to  those  found  in  any  of  the  great  mining  regions  of 
the  United  States.  "  Undoubtedly  the  latent  and  undeveloped 
mining  resources,  the  lodes  and  placers, of  this  Territory,"  re- 
ports the  United  States  Surveyor  General,  <  <  need  bur  the  appii  - 
cation  of  capital  and  machinery  to  render  New  Mexico,  on  their 
account,  the  peer  of  either  of  the  states  and  territories  famous  for 
their  mineral  deposits  and  coal  fields."  Hitherto  the  immense 
mineral  wealth  of  the  Territory  has  been  allowed  to  lie  compara- 
tively occult  and  dormant,  for  New  Mexico  has  been  allowed  to 
remain  the  least  known  of  the  territories.  Unlike  some  of  her  sisters, 
whose  public  men  and  whose  local  press  have  presented  them  to 
the  world  nolens  volens,  as  the  true  El  Dorado  found  at  last,  New 
Mexico  has  not  in  like  manner  sought  or  received  attention, 
immigration  and  wealth.  But  now  that  the  advent  of  railroads 
is  near,  now  that  her  traditional  red  enemy  has  gone  to  his  res- 


METALS   AND    MINING,    HOT   SPRINGS,    ETC.  77 

ervation,  and  now  that  the  stream  of  emigration  approaches, 
her  day  of  empire  dawns. 

As  the  Territory  has  been  as  yet  but  slightly  prospected  by 
the  searcher  for  mines,  and  as  those  found  remain  in  almost 
every  instance  undeveloped  for  want  of  capital  and  machinery, 
its  resources  in  this  great  element  of  material  wealth  are  com- 
paratively unknown,  though  they  are  not  undoubted.  Evidences 
of  mines  wrorked  in  ancient  times  by  the  Spaniards,  wrho  are 
said  to  have  furnished  from  New  Mexico  large  quantities  of 
gold  and  silver,  are  frequently  found  in  different  portions  of  the 
Territory,  and  work  been  renewed  upon  them.  We  cannot 
now  refer  in  detail  to  all  the  mining  districts  in  the  Territory, 
or  the  mines  therein  promising  or  yielding  best,  but  we  desire 
to  demonstrate  from  what  we  know  and  state,  that  mining  in 
New  Mexico  will  ere  long  become  a  very  prominent  and  import- 
ant industry  of  the  country. 

The  mines  and  placers  and  coal  fields  of  the  territory  seem, 
from  the  discoveries  made  and  from  the  indications,  to  exist 
scattered  all  over  the  country.  Gold,  silver,  iron,  quicksilver, 
marble,  coal,  building  stone  and  precious  stones — indeed  nearly 
all  the  known  metals  and  other  productions  of  the  ground, 
which 'contribute  to  the  use  and  pleasure  and  wealth  of  men — 
appear  to  exist  in  New  Mexico. 

The  Commissioner  of  the  General  Land  Office  in  his  annual 
report  for  1868,  says  of  our  mineral  resources,  that  valuable  min- 
erals are  found  in  every  portion  of  New  Mexico.  In  numerous 
localities  may  now  be  seen  shafts  and  drifts,  the  work  of  former 
generations,  and  the  only  monuments  left  of  their  energy, 
activity  and  industry,  while  the  almost  daily  discovery  of  new 
lodes  of  gold  and  silver  bearing  quartz  and  auriferous  placers  indi- 
cate that  mining  operations  in  the  future  will  be  as  productive 
as  in  the  past.  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  Nevada  and  Southern 
California  present  an  area  of  productive  soil  and  genial  climate 
that  promises  under  the  stimulus  of  railway  communication  to 
attract  and  support  a  large  industrial  population.  Both  the 
agricultural  and  mineral  resources  of  these  regions  are  on  a 
magnificent  scale. 

The  present  United  States  Surveyor  General  for  New  Mexico, 
in  a  recently  published  letter  to  the  General  Land  Office  at 
Washington,  says  of  the  Territory:  I  have  travelled  to  Fort 


78  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


Bascom  on  the  Canadian  river  near  the  Texan  frontier,  a  round 
trip  of  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  and  to  Fort  Craig, 
down  the  valley  of  the  Bio  Grande,  another  journey  of  about 
the  same  extent.  I  made  these  trips  mainly  that  I  might  learn 
something  of  the  characteristics  of  the  district  and  its  people 
from  personal  observation.  Including  the  route  from  the  terri- 
torial boundary  near  Trinidad,  Colorado,  to  this  city,  my  travels 
in  the  district  amount  to  above  one  thousand  miles;  and  I  am 
satisfied  that  this  Territory  deserves  better  and  more  liberal 
treatment  than  it  has  ever  received;  it  appears  to  be  misrepre- 
sented, and  generally  friendless  and  forlorn,  BUT  IT  HAS  IMMENSE 
LATENT  RESOURCES.  I  believe  it  has  more  gold,  silver  and  copper 
than  Colorado  or  Nevada,  and  there  are  also  vast  quantities  of 
iron,  lead,  coal  and  other  minerals,  together  with  plenty  of  good 
timber.  It  has  a  most  salubrious,  mild  and  equable  climate,  and 
cannot  be  excelled  for  grazing  purposes.  All  its  fine  valleys  and 
almost  endless  plains  are  feeding  grounds,  covered  the  year 
through  with  nutritious  grasses,  and  stock  does  not  require  to  be 
housed  at  any  time,  the  winters  are  so  mild  and  stormless. 
Fruit,  especially  grapes,  together  with  vegetables  and  grain, 
flourishes  in  all  the  valleys  and  wherever  the  land  can  be  irri- 
gated. 

The  congressional  appropriation  of  1868  for  a  geological  sur- 
vey of  Colorado  and  New  Mexico  being  inadequate  to  secure  a 
thorough  one,  the  work  of  the  geologist  was  necessarily  brief 
and  imperfect;  yet  in  an  examination  of  only  a  few  days  spent 
in  New  Mexico  (no  portion  of  which  was  given  to  the  west  side 
of  the  Bio  Grande),  he  reports  the  following  "minerals  of  com- 
cial  value,'1''  and  the  localities  where  observed: — 

Iron  Pyrites,  Copper  Pyrites — Mostly  auriferous,  widely  dis- 
tributed in  veins  over  the  flanks  of  the  Bocky  Mountains  in 
New  Mexico,  and  in  numerous  lesser  chains  of  granitic  and 
metamorphic  rocks. 

Malachite,  green  vitriol,  blue  vitriol — Principally  from  decom- 
positions  of  the  above  wherever  the  ores  have  been  exposed  to 
weathering.  Widely  distributed  in  veins  over  the  flanks  of  the 
Bocky  Mountains  in  New  Mexico,  and  in  numerous  lesser  chains 
of  granitic  and  metamorphic  rocks. 

Zineblende,  often  argentiferous — Sandia,  etc. 

Galena,  often  argentiferous — Maxwell's,  near  Mora. 


METALS    AND    MINING,    HOT   SPRINGS,    ETC.  79 

Brittle  Silver — Maxwell's,  near  Mora. 

Fahlerz — Maxwell's,  near  Mora. 

Specular  Iron  Ore — Real  Dolores,  near  Ortiz  mine. 

Red  and  Brown  Hematite — Widely  distributed;  Old  Placer, 
etc. 

Magnetic  Pyrites — New  Placer. 

Coal — Baton  mountains,  Maxwell's,  Real  Dolores,  etc. 

Cerussite — Maxwell' s. 

Anglesite — Maxwell' s. 

Native  Gold — Arroyo  Hondo,  Moreno,  Brahm  Lode,  New 
Placer,  etc. 

Native  Silver — Maxwell's. 

Horn  Silver — Maxwell's. 

Titanic  Iron  Ore — Real  Dolores. 

Smithsonite — Sandia. 

Silver  Glance — Moreno,  New  and  Old  Placers. 

Light  and  dark  Ruby  Silver — Maxwell's. 

Spathic  and  Micacious  Iron  Ores — Real  Dolores. 

Turquoise — Cerrillos,  between  Santa  Fe  and  San  Lazaro 
mountains. 

The  valuable  ores  abound,  continues  the  geologist,  almost 
everywhere  in  the  granite  and  gneiss  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
and  the  economic  question  is  not  to  find  the  material,  but  the 
capital  and  labor  with  which  to  work.  That  the  country  over 
which  these  investigations  were  made  is  replete  with  those 
minerals  which  by  their  decomposition  are  found  by  experience 
to  most  enrich  the  soil,  as  it  is  with  the  before-mentioned 
minerals  of  commercial  value. 

Gold  is  known  to  exist  in  over  fifty  different  localities  in  the 
Territory.  It  and  silver  must  have  been  known  and  extensively 
mined  by  the  Aztecs,  as  the  presence  of  their  old  ruins  is  said 
to  be  an  almost  unfailing  indication  of  mines.  The  Spaniards 
mined  gold,  silver,  and  copper  in  this  region,  and  Jesuit  priests 
more  thoroughly  prospected  it  than  it  has  been  since.  They 
reported  at  all  points  great  riches,  and  the  existence  of  all  the 
precious  metals.  At  the  Placer  Mountain,  the  Old  and  New 
Placer,  quartz  lodes  have  been  opened  since  the  war. 

At  Moreno  mines,  at  Ute  Creek,  and  other  tributaries  of  the 
Cimarron  and  Red  river,  large  deposits  of  gold  have  been  dis- 
covered and  worked.  The  Commissioner  of  the  General  Land 


80  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

Office,  in  his  report  of  1868,  says  of  the  Aztec  mine  at  Ciinarron: 

There  has  recently  been  received  at  this  office  a  specimen  of 
ore,  consisting  of  a  silicious  deposit  of  exceedingly  loose  texture, 
through  which  are  interspersed  fibers  of  pure  gold,  some  of 
which  exceed  two  inches  in  length.  It  is  claimed  that  an  assay 
made  at  the  Denver  mint  of  a  specimen  of  this  ore,  in  which  no 
gold  was  visible  to  the  eye,  yielded  at  the  rate  of  $19,000  to  the 
ton.  The  locality  in  which  this  specimen  was  obtained  is  on  the 
headwaters  of  the  creek,  a  branch  of  Cimarron  river,  and  the 
existence  of  the  deposit  was  hitherto  unsuspected. 

The  gold  found  in  the  gulches  is  shot-gold  mostly.  The 
specimens  from  the  lodes  are  rich  quartz,  and  the  gold  can  be 
distinguished  with  the  naked  eye.  This  whole  section  is 
evidently  abounding  in  gold. 

At  Pinos  Altos,  quartz  gold-mining  has  received  considerable 
attention.  Thirty  lodes  were  discovered,  paying  from  forty  to 
two  hundred  dollars  per  ton.  In  this  district  two  years  ago 
thirty  lodes  of  gold  quartz  were  worked,  ten  of  silver  or  a 
combination  of  silver  and  gold,  and  three  of  copper.  There  have 
been  picked  up  in  one  day  in  a  gulch  at  Pinos  Altos  ores  of  gold, 
silver,  lead,  zinc,  'magnetic  iron,  and  plumbago.  The  number 
of  mines  now  worked  there  has  largely  increased. 

Twenty  seven  miles  from  the  City  of  Santa  Fe  is  the  Real  de 
Dolores  or  old  Placer,  discovered  in  the  year  1833,  and  from  that 
up  to  1840  it  contained  a  population  varying  from  2000  to  3000 
persons,  the  most  of  whom  were  engaged  in  washing  out  gold, 
laboring  under  great  disadvantage  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of 
water,  it  being  necessary  to  carry  the  dirt  to  the  water,  a  dis- 
tance of  nearly  two  miles,  or  pack  water  in  kegs  and  barrels  to 
the  dirt;  there  were  at  one  time  some  dozen  or  more  stores 
there  with  merchandise;  the  amount  of  gold  taken  out  by  this 
rude  process  is  variously  estimated  from  $300,000  to  $500,000 
yearly.  Many  rich  gold-bearing  quartz  lodes  were  discovered, 
but  owing  to  the  want  of  water  and  proper  machinery  were  not 
worked  to  any  extent. 

The  Heal  de  San  Francisco,  ten  miles  south  of  Heal  de 
Dolores,  was  discovered  in  1840,  and  was  considered  much  richer 
than  that  of  Dolores,  and  was  worked  about  six  years,  the  miners 
laboring  under  the  same  difficulties  as  to  water,  as  occurred  at  the 
Dolores;  there  were  over  5,000  people  at  this  place  at  one  time, 


METALS   AND     MINING,    HOT   SPRINGS,    ETC.  81 


and  it  is  stated  by  reliable  parties  who  were  there  at  the  time 
engaged  in  trading,  mining  etc.,  that  the  diggings  yielded 
upward  of  a  half  million  of  dollars  yearly,  the  gold  being  of  the 
finest  quality. 

Thousands  of  persons  could  here  find  profitable  employment, 
with  a  sufficiency  of  water,  and  millions  of  dollars  uncovered. 
A  very  large  proportion  of  the  earth  of  these  placers  was  never 
touched  or  worked.  The  bulk  of  these  placers  are  private 
property,  covered  by  confirmed  and  surveyed  grants,  and  invite 
the  attention  of  capitalists,  who  must  some  day  reap  large  paying 
results,  and  give  employment  to  large  numbers  of  miners. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  war  a  placer  had  been  discovered 
in  the  Jicarilla  mountains  in  Lincoln  county,  where  some  300 
miners,  chiefly  Mexicans,  were  at  work,  and  doing  well.  Other 
companies  were  about  to  commence  operations  on  the  silver 
lodes  of  the  Organ  mountains.  The  Stephenson  company  had 
shipped  a  lot  of  machinery  and  material  to  work  extensively  the 
Stephenson  silver  mines.  These  reached  their  destination  the 
very  week  hostilities  commenced  on  the  frontier.  The  mine, 
now  called  the  San  Agustin,  is  being  worked. 

In  1862  a  large  number  of  persons  entered  the  San  Juan 
region  on  account  of  the  gold  excitement.  They  built  a  town  on 
the  Rio  de  las  Animas,  and  named  it  Las  Animas,  which  they 
were  compelled  to  abandon,  the  houses  now  remaining  unoccu- 
pied, unless,  as  is  probable,  the  town  is  lately  reestablished. 
Many  of  them  returned  to  the  settlements  in  a  starving  con- 
dition, although  gold  and  silver  was  found  in  the  mountains, 
and  on  all  the  streams  tributary  to  the  San  Juan  river.  The 
mineral  wealth  of  the  San  Juan  country  is  again  attracting 
attention,  and  that  region  is  now  rapidly  filling  with  miners  and 
settlers. 

The  mining  district  near  the  Mesilla  valley,  in  the  Organ 
mountains,  has  a  mean  altitude  of  4,400  feet,  and  is  intersected 
with  ravines,  affording  most  favorable  opportunities  for  hori- 
zontal drifts  in  opening  the  veins.  There  is  a  belt  or  seiies  of 
veins  containing  six  principal  veins,  varying  from  two  to  fifteen 
feet  in  width.  On  the  largest  of  these  veins  is  the  celebrated 
San  Agustin  mine.  This  belt  of  veins  crosses  the  Organ 
mountain  at  or  near  the  San  Agustin  pass,  and  both  sides  of  the 
chain  of  mountains  ^resent  similar  features  and  equal  richness. 

6 


82  BREVOOBT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

The  celebrated  mine  just  mentioned  was  formerly  known  as  the 
Stephenson  silver  mine,  and  the  claimants  of  it  under  this  name 
are  now  in  litigation  with  those  who  during  the  war  "denounced" 
it,  and  now  claim  it  under  the  name  San  Agustin.  The  whole 
Organ  mountains  are  extremely  rich  in  silver.  Over  fifty  mines 
have  been  discovered  therein,  the  ore  being  generally  argentif- 
erous galena,  admitting  of  simple  reduction  by  smelting,  the 
mines  paying  from  $40  to  $200  per  ton. 

The  country  bordering  on  the  north  portion  of  Chihuahua  is 
a  rich  silver  district.  Just  over  our  line  are  the  mines  of 
"  Corralitos,"  the  most  successful  mines  in  the  state  of  Chihua- 
hua. They  have  been  mined  for  nearly  fifty  years.  Their 
productiveness  has  overcome  all  obstacles^  and  the  mines  have 
employed  annually  several  hundred  hands. 

Near  the  old  town  of  El  Paso  tradition  places  the  locality  of  one 
of  the  richest  silver  mines  of  those  formerly  known  to  the  Span- 
iards. Its  site  had  been  lost  since  the  expulsion  of  the  Jesuits 
until  last  year.  It  is  said  that  the  Jesuits  of  Northern  Mexico 
were  the  last  to  suffer  the  decree  of  expulsion,  and  had  sufficient 
notice  of  the  edict,  and  carefully  covered  up  the  traces  of  the 
mining  there.  In  this  way  the  localities  of  many  of  the  richest 
mines  of  New  Mexico  have  been  lost.  As  the  section  in  which 
this  remarkable  old  mine  is  situated  is  a  portion  of  the  mineral- 
bearing  mountain  system  of  New  Mexico,  we  will  here  give  a 
condensed  account  of  the  mine  and  its  history.  The  locality 
and  history  of  the  mine,  called  the  Mina  del  Padre,  having  been 
gathered  from  the  old  church  records  at  El  Paso,  several  gen- 
tlemen there  determined  to  re-open  it,  which  they  did  in  the 
winter  of  lS72-'8.  The  year  1680  was  the  year  the  mine  was 
discovered  by  the  monks  of  the  order  of  Saint  Francis,  in  charge 
of  the  church  at  El  Paso;  the  same  year  the  Spaniards  under 
Governor  and  Captain  General  Otermin  were  all  expelled  from 
New  Mexico  by  the  Pueblo  Indians.  Skilled  in  the  science  of 
mineralogy,  they  were  not  slow  to  discover  the  extraordinary 
richness  of  the  Padre  vein,  and  their  knowledge  of  the  art  of 
metallurgy  enabled  them  to  work  it  very  profitably  for  many 
years.  From  the  silver  obtained  from  this  mine,  most  of  the 
churches  in  northern  Chihuahua  were  enriched  and  endowed. 
The  Jesuits  were  never  friendly  to  the  Franciscans,  and  when 
in  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  the  order  of  Jesuits 


METALS   AND    MINING,    HOT   SPRINGS,    ETC.  83 

obtained  complete  control  in  Spain,  it  was  not  long  ere  the  bare- 
footed Franciscans  were  ordered  to  depart  from  Mexico,  and 
surrender  their  rich  possessions  to  the  dominant  Jesuits.  When 
information  of  the  coming  change  reached  the  monks  at  El  Paso, 
they  quietly  covered  the  mine,  and  obliterated  as  near  as  pos- 
sible all  traces  of  its  existence.  Years  passed  on,  the  Jesuits,  if 
they  had  learned  the  secret  of  the  silver  treasure,  never  availed 
themselves  of  it.  In  1792  the  mine  was  again  opened,  and 
worked  for  several  years  by  a  company  of  Mexican  gentlemen. 
The  works  for  the  reduction  of  the  ores  were  situated  near  the 
river  banks  of  the  Rio  del  Norte  or  Bio  Grande.  The  revolution 
of  1810,  followed  by  the  declaration  and  establishment  of  Mexican 
independence,  again  interrupted  the  working  of  the  mine,  and 
it  was  a  second  time  filled  up  and  abandoned,  and  so  remained 
until  the  late  re-discovery  and  re-opening.  This  was  done  at 
considerable  trouble  and  expense.  A  shaft  was  sunk  ninety  feet 
through  the  material  which  had  been  used  to  fill  up  the  mine, 
and  which,  from  lapse  of  time,  had  become  almost  as  firmly 
cemented  together  as  the  original  soil.  Although  the  main  lode 
is  not  yet  reached,  the  ores  that  have  been  taken  out  during 
the  progress  of  excavation  prove  to  be  unusually  rich.  Soon 
after  it  was  opened  a  gentleman  arrived  upon  the  ground  who 
had  come  from  California  expressly  to  search  for  this  very  mine, 
having  obtained  there  some  clue  to  its  value  and  its  locality. 
He  was  not  aware  that  similar  data  had  been  obtained  at  El 
Paso,  and  he  was  just  in  time  to  be  too  late.  The  mine  is  situ- 
ated at  the  southern  point  of  the  Organ  mountains,  here  about 
1,500  feet  high,  two  and  a  half  miles  from  the  City  of  El  Paso, 
and  is  a  lode  or  vein  of  black  chloride  of  silver,  containing 
sulphurets,  the  out  cropping  about  forty  feet  wide.  This  im- 
mense lode,  or  vein,  runs  north  and  south,  dipping  to  the  west 
at  an  angle  of  45°.  The  silver  lode  lays  in  a  bed  of  old  red  sand- 
stone, and  the  overlying  face  rock  is  igneous,  with  traces  of  iron 
in  it.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  lode  is  extremely  rich, 
and  immensely  valuable. 

West  from  the  Mesilla  Valley,  the  principal  towns  in  which 
are  Mesilla,  Las  Cruces  and  Dona  Ana,  is  the  new  and  very 
flourishing  mining  town  of  Silver  City.  The  mines  were  dis- 
covered in  the  locality  in  the  spring  of  1870;  and  since  then 
Silver  City  has  been  founded,  and  now  has  a  population  of  nearly 


84  BBEVOOBT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


fifteen  hundred,  the  town  containing,  besides  miners  and  mining 
establishments,  lawyers,  physicians,  preachers,  editors  and  so 
forth,  and  churches,  schoolhouses,  printing  offices  and  mercan- 
tile houses;  some  of  the  most  handsome  brick  dwellings  too,  be- 
ing found  there.  Most  of  the  mines  opened  and  worked  in  that 
section  well  sustain  their  reputation.  Governor  Arny,  two  years 
ago,  obtained  specimens  from  upwards  of  sixty  different  mines 
and  lodes  in  that  section.  On  the  Mimbres  river,  in  the  same 
section  of  country,  or  near  that  stream,  is  an  extensive  gold 
placer,  which  was  formerly  worked  by  the  Mexicans  in  a  very 
rude  fashion,  and  yielded  well,  though  they  had  to  carry  the 
dirt  to  the  water;  whether  worked  or  not  we  are  not 
aware.  A  canal  to  convey  water  a  few  miles  in  length  at 
this  point,  would  develop  an  extraordinarily  rich  gold  deposit. 

On  the  headquarters  of  the  Bio  Gila,  in  New^  Mexico,  and  on 
its  tributary,  the  Bio  San  Francisco,  in  Arizona,  discoveries  of 
gold,  silver,  copper  and  quicksilver  have  been  made;  the  gold 
prospecting  in  the  bed  of  the  stream  from  one  cent  to  one  hun- 
dred cents  to  the  washing  pan.  It  was  in  this  region  where  the 
Indians  procured  the  gold  to  make  the  bullets  which  the  explo- 
rer Aubrey,  twenty  years  ago,  found  in  use  among  the  wild 
Apaches  there.*  Placers  of  gold  are  found  throughout  the  moun- 
tains along  those  streams;  but  for  the  present  the  lack  of  water 
necessarily  renders  them  unavailing,  comparatively. 

Accessible  to  the  Bio  Grande,  south  of  Alburquerque,  lying 
in  the  mountain  ranges  which  bound  the  valley  on  either  side, 
for  nearly  its  entire  length,  are  extensive  deposits  of  mineral 
wealth,  waiting  for  the  capital,  skill  and  labor  to  develop  them. 
This  development,  but  just  started,  will  begin  in  earnest  as  soon 
as  the  railroad  reaches  Alburquerque,  but  will  be  greatly  accel- 
erated by  the  construction  of  the  proposed  branch  down  this 
valley  to  El  Paso  and  on  to  Chihuahua.  These  may  be  briefly 
itemized  as  follows: 

1.  In  the  range  east  of  the  Bio  Grande,  known  in  different 
parts  of  its  course  as  the  Manzano,  Jicarilla  and  Organ  moun- 


*  In  his  report  of  meeting  the  Indians  with  golden  bullets,  Mr.  Aubrey  says: 
«<  They  are  of  different  sizes,  and  each  Indian  has  a  pouch  of  them.  We  saw  an 
Indian  load  his  gun  with  one  large  and  three  small  gold  bullets  to  shoot  a  rab- 
bit. They  proposed  exchanging  them  for  lead,  but  I  preferred  trading  other 
articles. 


METALS   AND    MINING,    HOT   SPRINGS,    ETC.  85 

tains,  but  called  generally  in  connection  with  the  Sandia  moun- 
tain, the  "  Organ  Range,"  are  found  veins  of  silver  arid  copper 
(many  of  which  were  formerly  worked  by  the  Spaniards,) 
almost  wherever  it  has  been  explored.  This  range  lies  from  18 
to  25  miles  from  the  river. 

2.  On  the  same  side  of  the  Bio  Grande,  north  of  Fort  Craig, 
occur  the  excellent  coal  mines   of   Don  Pedro,   and  veins  of 
copper,  galena  and  iron  ore. 

3.  On  the  east  side  of  the  river  is  a  range  formed  of  spurs 
from  the  Sierra  Madre,  which  are  called  at  different  points,  the 
Mimbres,    Magdalena,    Ladrones,    San    Mateo,    and    (north   of 
Alburquerque)   the   Jemez   and  Abiquia  mountains.      In  this 
range,  whose  north  and  south  extent  is  over  250  miles,  rich  lodes 
of  copper  are  numerous.     It  is  found  at  certain  localities  almost 
in  a  pure  state,  and  at  others  combined  with  gold  and  silver. 
There  are  two  copper  mines  at  Jemez — one  large,  of  virgin  ore, 
and  heretofore  extensively  worked.     There  is  a  large  mine  in 
the  Magdalena  mountain,  west  of  Socorro,  of  copper,  with  a 
large  percentage  of  silver,  new  developments  of  which  within 
the   last  several  months  are  exceedingly  promising.     Recently 
also,  within  the  Magdalena  mountain  section,  mines  of  other 
metals  have  been  discovered,  and  some  of  them  opened  and 
worked,  and  the  reports  from  them  show  that  they  are  valuable, 
and  that   Spring   Hill  mining  district,   embracing  them,   will, 
in   due  time,  become  one  of  the  most  productive  in  the  Terri- 
tory. 

Upon,  or  accessible  to  the  surveyed  route  of  the  35th  parallel 
railway,  west  of  the  Rio  Grande,  there  are, 

1.  The  deposits  of  coal  in   the   valleys  of  the   Puerco,   the 
Rito,  the  Jemez,  and  north  of  the  San  Mateo  mountain. 

2.  A  fine    marble  quarry,   on   the   Rio  Salado,   a  branch  of 
the  Jemez,  about  25  miles  west  of   the  Rio  Grande.     Mr.  Hoi- 
brook,  civil  engineer,  reports  the  quality  equal  to  that  of  the  cele- 
brated Rutland  quarries,  and  that  the  deposit  is  very  large  and 
accessible.     "Large   quantities   of  gypsum  were   seen  near  this 
point,    and  also   on  the  Jemez,    south   of  the  junction  of   the 
Salado,  where  our  party  saw  more  marble." 

3.  Near  Jemez,  about  30  miles  west  of  the  Rio  Grande,  was 
recently  found  serpentine  of  great  beauty,  easily  quarried,  in  any 
sized  blocks. 


86  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

4.  Very  extensive  beds  of  gypsum  immediately  adjoin  the 
railroad  survey  line  near  Bito,  40  miles  west  of  Alburquerque. 
They  are  reported  by  the  geologist  to  be  of  a  very  pure  quality, 
lying  in  regular  strata,  presenting  a  continuous  bluff  80  to  100 
feet  thick.  They  are  amorphous  and  fibrous.  The  value  of  this 
material  in  its  crude  form  as  a  fertilizer  is  well  known,  and  may 
eventually  give  rise  to  an  extensive  demand  for  distant  transporta- 
tion. In  other  respects  it  will  prove  valuable  in  a  prepared  form, 
and  can  be  extensively  used  in  different  processes  of  building, 
and  in  various  other  forms. 

Saltpeter  is  common,  but  is  rarely  found  pure.  At  one  place 
near  the  international  boundary  line,  it  is  found  pure,  near  a 
spring  where  extensive  deposits  are  made  upon  the  clay,  whence 
it  is  gathered  in  considerable  quantities,  mainly  by  the  Mexicans 
from  the  city  of  Chihuahua,  the  locality  being  just  within  the 
Mexican  territory.  The  state  government  of  Chihuahua  regu- 
lates by  law  its  collection,  and,  in  like  manner  attempts  the  pro- 
hibition of  its  exportation. 

In  New  Mexico  plumbago  has  been  found  in  many  localities. 
Zinc  is  found  in  the  Sierra  Madre,  in  the  Sandia  mountain  and 
in  the  San  Juan  country.  We  do  not  remember  to  have  heard 
of  it  elsewhere.  Quicksilver,  virgin  and  cinnabar,  is  found  in 
the  Bio  Grande  country,  below  the  Taos  mountain  pass.  Old 
Spanish  records  mention  the  Mogollon  mountain  as  "the  place 
^here  cinnabar  is  found." 

The  deposits  of  iron  ore  are  numerous,  extending  from  the 
Baton  mountains  to  the  Placer  and  Sandia  mountains,  overlooking 
the  Bio  Grande.  It  is  found  of  excellent  quality  near  Las 
Vegas,  where  we  traced  two  veins,  one  of  magnetic  oxide,  4 
feet  thick  and  very  rich,  and  the  other  of  specular  iron  ore,  also 
rich,  and  6  feet  in  thickness;  at  the  Placer  mines,  south  of 
Santa  F6,  where  are  three  veins,  6  to  10  feet  thick,  of  rich  mag- 
netic iron  ore ;  also,  on  the  Maxwell  grant;  in  the  Apache 
Hills,  north  of  Fort  Union;  and  near  Jemez. 

Many  of  these  deposits  being  quite  near  to  coal  and  limestone, 
their  value  is  greatly  enhanced  for  manufacturing  purposes. 
Such  is  the  case  in  the  Baton  mountain,  at  the  Placer  mountains, 
and  with  those  at  Maxwell's.  At  the  Placer  mountains,  south 
of  Santa  Fe,  there  is  sufficient  timber  within  a  radius  of  10  miles 
from  the  Tuerto  ore,  to  smelt  a  half  million  of  tons — even  if  the 
coal  should  not  answer. 


METALS   AND    MINING,    HOT  SPRINGS,    ETC.  87 


Gold,  silver,  copper,  lead,  gypsum,  china  clay  and  salt  have 
been  developed  in  great  abundance  between  the  Arkansas  and 
the  Rio  Grande,  in  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  their  foot  hills. 
The  localities  may  be  briefly  named: 

Placer  and  quartz  gold  at  the  Moreno  mines,  18  miles  from 
Maxwell's — where  about  2,000  miners  are  at  work. 

Also,  at  the  Placer  mountains,  south  of  Santa  Fe,  which  have 
been  worked  a  long  time,  and  are  very  rich.  From  the  placers 
there  at  least  $1,000,000  has  been  taken.  Here  the  New  Mex- 
ican Mining  Company  have  40  stamps  at  work,  and  expect  to 
take  out  $200,000  in  gold  the  coming  year.  The  number  of  pro- 
ductive veins  in  this  Placer  mountain  district  is  extraordinary — 
20  having  been  shafted  upon  in  the  San  Lazaro  mountain  alone. 
These  mines  alone  will  furnish  a  heavy  traffic  to  a  railroad,  and 
attract  a  large  population,  but  they  comprise  only  one  of  the 
numerous  similar  localities  in  New  Mexico. 

Gold  bearing  quartz  is  also  found  in  the  Sandia  mountain, 
where  Captain  Colton  visited  two  veins  near  Tejon.  And  gold 
dust  is  reported  in  nearly  all  the  arroyos  near  this  mountain. 

At  the  base  of  all  the  Placer  mountains  the  drift  is  impreg- 
nated with  gold,  and  it  is  proposed  to  lead  water  from  the  Pecos 
river,  68  miles  distant,  by  a  ditch,  at  an  estimate  cost  of  $250,000, 
for  the  purpose  of  washing  it,  for  which  a  company  has  been 
formed. 

Gold  is  found  in  the  range  east  of  the  Rio  Grande,  in  New 
Mexico,  to  a  large  extent — for  100  miles  south  of  Santa  Fe,  and 
northward  for  120  miles  to  Sangre  de  Cristo. 

Silver  and  Lead. — The  Sandia  range,  18  to  25  miles  from  the 
Rio  Grande,  which  it  adjoins  on  the  east,  is  the  great  repository 
of  argentifierous  galena  in  New  Mexico,  and  its  mines  have  been 
extensively  worked  in  former  times  by  the  Spaniards — using 
the  Pueblo  Indians  as  slaves. 

Captain  Colton  and  Dr.  Bell  visited  a  number  of  mines  in 
this  district,  and  report  them  apparently  rich,  as  also  the  veins 
of  argentiferous  galena  in  the  Placer  mountains.  Both  are  de- 
scribed in  detail  in  Captain  Col  ton's  report.  The  .Sandia  moun- 
tains are  the  great  " Organ  range"  of  New  Mexico,  which  ex- 
tend from  the  Galisteo  southward  for  over  200  miles,  and  in 
which  are  found  throughout  lodes  of  silver  and  copper,  many  of 


BREVOOKT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


which  were  worked  by  the  old  Spaniards  before  the  Pueblo  In- 
dians rose  and  drove  them  out,  two  hundred  years  ago,  filling 
up  these  mines. 

Silver  lead  is  also  found  in  the  Moreno  mining  district,  near 
Cimarron,  on  Maxwell's  grant,  and  in  Turkey  Mountain,  north 
of  Fort  Union,  but  has  not  been  developed  as  yet  in  either 
locality. 

The  beds  of  auriferous  copper  ore  on  the  surveyed  railroad 
route,  which  are  very  numerous  and  rich,  will  probably  be  found 
to  furnish  the  most  profitable  business  of  all  to  a  railroad.  Many 
of  these  ores  in  the  Placer  mountain  district  will  bear  a  freight 
charge  of  $50  dollars  per  ton,  and  yield  a  handsome  profit  to  the 
miner  and  smelter.  This  would  pay  6  cents  per  ton  per  mile 
to  Kansas  City.  For  some  time,  until  labor  becomes  cheaper, 
and  capital  more  abundant,  it  is  probable  that  a  large  amount  of 
these,  as  well  as  of  the  silver  ores,  will  be  transported  to  the 
Missouri  or  Mississippi— there  to  be  smelted — especially  as  the 
road  can  afford  for  several  years,  while  the  process  of  building 
up  this  country  is  going  rapidly  on,  to  carry  ores  as  return  freight, 
at  a  very  low  charge.  They  must  eventually  all  be  reduced 
here  where  coal  abounds. 

These  copper  ores  are  found  in  the  Cimarron  district,-  in 
Turkey  mountain,  north  of  Fort  Union;  and  on  the  Sandia  moun- 
tains, adjoining  the  Elo  Grande;  along  the  whole  extent  of  the 
Organ  range;  and  in  abundance  in  the  Placer  mountains,  south 
of  Santa  F£,  where  we  visited  several  good  veins,  one  of  which 
was  over  20  feet  thick,  and  reported  to  contain  from  15  to  26  per 
cent,  of  copper,  and  also  to  be  rich  in  gold. 

On  the  San  Ysidro  mountain,  in  this  district,  there  are 
numerous  lodes  of  copper,  as  well  as  silver  and  gojd,  which 
were  worked  many  years  ago — before  the  memory  of  the  old- 
est inhabitant.  The  ruins  [of  numerous  furnaces  and  arastras 
are  to  be  seen. 

On  a  rich  vein,  recently  opened  in  Tijeras  Canon,  on  the  San- 
dia mountain,  one  mile  from  the  town  of  Tijeras,  and  close  to 
the  railway  surveyed  line  (east  of  the  Bio  Grande,)  the  shaft  has 
been  sunk  about  200  feet — the  vein  being  3  feet  thick,  and  im- 
proving as  the  mine  deepens.  A  large  quantity  of  good  ore  had 
been  taken  out,  and  a  smelting  furnace  was  erected  close  by. 


METALS   AND    MINING,    HOT   SPRINGS,    ETC.  89 

There  are  good  veins  of  very  pure  China  clay  in  the  Placer 
mountains;  and  gypsum,  which  the  Mexicans  use  as  plaster,  for 
window  lights,  etc.,  is  very  abundant  along  the  route  from  the 
Purgatory  valley,  to  and  into  the  Sandia  mountains,  where,  at 
the  towns  Tejon  and  Una  de  Gato,  quite  a  business  is  carried 
on  by  the  people,  who  make  plaster  and  sell  it  at  Santa  Fe,  and 
along  the  Bio  Grande,  for  $1  per  bushel.  It  may  be  expected  to 
furnish  a  considerable  local  business.  Near  Tejon,  Captain  Col- 
ton  rode  over  an  extensive  bed  of  gypsum,  crystalline  and 
opaque,  which  was  three  miles  long,  300  yards  wide,  and  10  feet 
deep,  and  on  Tecolote  creek  it  was  equally  abundant. 

On  the  great  plateau  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  southwest  of 
Canon  Blanco  summit,  are  the  Salinas,  which  furnish  an  un- 
limited quantity  of  good  salt.  A  large  part  of  New  Mexico  is 
supplied  from  here,  it  being  wagoned  to  Santa  Fe,  Las  Vegas, 
to  the  towns  along  the  Bio  Grande,  and  even  to  Chihuahua. 
The  only  cost  is  that  of  transportation.  It  occurs  in  quantity  in 
many  places  in  New  Mexico,  often  mixed  with  alkali — and  also 
pure  in  lakes.  One  vein  is  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fort  Stanton. 
The  evaporation  in  the  salt  lakes  makes  an  annual  deposit  of  salt 
several  inches  in  thickness,  coarse,  strong,  and  of  the  best  quality. 
It  has  often  been  taken  to  the  city  of  Chihuahua  for  sale,  as  the 
salt  of  that  state  is  inferior,  being  mixed  with  alkali.  The 
principal  lakes  are  in  the  valley  between  the  Organ  and  Sacra- 
mento mountains;  one  lake  on  the  Texas  line,  and  the  best  one 
sixty  miles  northward,  and  another  large  and  excellent  one  about 
sixty  miles  south  of  Santa  Fe,  near  the  town  of  Manzano,  whence 
many  wagon  loads  are  regularly  carried  to  Santa  Fe  and  other 
distant  points,  the  article  forming  quite  a  commodity  of  interior 
commerce. 

Coal  is  very  abundant  in  numerous  localities  in  New  Mexico, 
and  will  furnish  a  heavy  traffic  for  the  supply  of  the  timberless 
districts  of  the  plains,  and  the  mines  and  mills  in  the  moun- 
tains— the  latter  trade  being  in  proportion  to  the  extent  of  the 
development  of  the  mines  of  precious  ores,  and  those  of  cop- 
per, lead,  iron,  and  so  on. 

Deposits  of  coal  are  known  to  extend  as  far  west  as  the  Moqui 
villages,  more  than  300  miles  from  Alburquerque,  where  Dr- 
Newberry  saw  a  bed  12  feet  thick. 


90  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

The  most  westerly  deposit  reported  by  Dr.  Parry  was  on  the 
Zuni  Pass  line,  1 5  miles  east  of  the  Indian  pueblo  or  town  of 
Zuni,  where  he  saw  a  bed  4  feet  thick,  near  Pescado  Springs,  at 
a  good  elevation  in  the  bluffs  for  mining,  and  to  all  appearances 
sufficiently  extensive  to  be  valuable:  in  quality  rather  slaty  at 
outcrop,  but  likely  to  improve  as  opened.  There  were  also 
other  beds,  the  outcrop  showing  along  the  bluff  for  several  miles. 
This  is  140  miles  west  of  the  Rio  Grande  at  Alburquerque. 

In  the  Sarcino  Canon,  about  30  miles  west  of  the  Bio  Grande, 
and  within  3  miles  of  the  surveyed  line  on  the  Bito>  are  three 
distinct  seams  of  coal,  averaging  3  to  4  feet  in  thickness;  one  of 
these  is  4  feet  thick,  and  apparently  without  any  included  slate 
veins.  It  dips  about  40°,  and  the  quality  is  not  very  good  at  the 
outcrop,  but  it  may  improve  at  greater  depth.  The  extent  of 
the  deposit  remains  to  be  proven,  but  as  we  hear  of  coal  existing 
north,  south  and  west  of  this  locality  at  intervals  over  long  dis- 
tances, there  is  a  reasonable  prospect  of  finding  an  abundance  of 
fair  coal. 

Dr.  Parry  found  near  Acoma,  60  miles  from  the  Bio  Grande, 
west  from  Alburquerque,  cannel  coal  in  veins  as  thick  as  20  inches, 
which  the  Indians  me  for  jet  ornaments,  and  very  good  coal  at 
San  Jose,  7  miles  west  of  Cubero,  in  three  veins,  of  which  the 
total  thickness  was  three  feet — the  thickest  seam  being  20 
inches. 

On  the  San  Felipe  line,  near  Gavilan  Pass,  20  miles  from  the 
town  of  El  Bito,  is  found  a  good  vein  of  coal  of  workable  thick- 
ness. And  on  the  same  line,  near  San  Pedro,  on  the  divide 
between  the  Puerco  and  the  Jemez,  was  seen  a  vein  of  fine  can- 
nel coal,  two  feet  thick,  and  nearly  everywhere  indications  of 
an  abundance  of  cannel  coal;  this  was  60  miles  west  of  the  Bio 
Grande.  We  were  informed  of  numerous  veins  of  coal,  two  to 
four  feet  thick,  and  covering  an  area  of  40  miles,  existing  at 
Agua  Azul,  but  did  not  see  them.  Dr.  Wizlezenus  saw  coal 
near  the  village  of  Jernez.  Good  coal  is  found  immediately 
west  of  the  Sierra  Madre,  near  Fort  Defiance,  and  is  reported  to 
extend  to  within  a  few  miles  of  Campbell's  Pass. 

The  proposed  railway  via  San  Felipe,  north  of  San  Mateo 
mountain,  will  probably  lie  nearer  to  extensive  deposits  of  good 
coal  than  those  further  south.  Several  localities  of  coal,  in  thick 


METALS    AND    MINING,    HOT   SPRINGS,    ETC.  91 

beds,  are  reported  in  that  country,  between  Jemez  and  the 
Sierra  Madre;  and  Simpson  saw  coal  in  the  Canon  de  Chaco, 
near  the  36th  parallel,  almost  due  north  of  San  Mateo. 

The  occurrence  of  anthracite  coal  in  workable  beds  in  the 
western  territories,  near  the  gold  and  silver  mining  districts,  is 
of  such  importance  that  a  reference  to  the  anthracite  coal  beds 
between  the  Old  Placer  mountains  and  the  Cerrillos  in  Santa  Fe 
county,  occurring  as  they  do  in  connection  with  carbonate  of 
iron  and  hematite,  and  having  numerous  veins  of  rich  magnetic 
iron  ore  within  a  few  miles  of  them,  cannot  fail  to  command 
the  attention  of  the  intelligent  reader.  The  outcroppings  of 
coal  in  the  district  referred  to  were  first  exposed  in  the  center 
of  the  little  branches  that  run  into  the  Galisteo.  The  first  one 
is  about  four  miles  south  of  the  Galisteo.  The  following 
section  of  the  strata  was  taken  ascending: 

1.  Laminated  clay,  with  thin  seams  of  sand  passing  up  into 
carbonaceous  clay  as  a  floor  for  coal. 

2.  Anthracite,  5  to  6  feet. 

3.  Drab  clay,  indurated,  15  to  29  feet. 

4.  Ferruginous  sandstone,  passing  up  into  a  light  grayish 
sandstone  30  to  50  feet. 

The  mine  is  opened  by  a  tunnel  90  feet  in  length;  the  dip  is 
15°  to  the  east;  this  coal  contains  88  per  cent,  of  fixed  carbon. 
In  another  locality  the  coal  is  opened  by  three  tunnels,  two 
twenty-five  feet  long,  and  one  forty  feet  long,  and  has  a  thick- 
ness of  four  feet  of  anthracite.  The  coal  from  this  mine  con- 
tains 87  per  cent,  of  fixed  carbon,  and  when  burning  shows  only 
the  short,  blue  flame  of  carbonic  oxide.  This  coal  has  been  in 
use  in  driving  the  engine  of  the  New  Mexico  Mining  Company's 
stamp  mill  in  the  vicinity.  A  hundred  pounds  brought  to  Santa 
Fe  was  used  by  Professor  Bruckner  in  his  assaying  furnace,  in 
order  to  test  the  heating  power  practically.  He  found  that  a 
white  heat  was  reached  in  a  very  short  time,  and  that  this  heat 
lasted  about  three  times  as  long  as  that  produced  by  an  equal 
weight  of  charcoal.  As  the  material  does  not  coke  in  the  least, 
it  is  evident  from  this  test  that  it  is  perfectly  adapted  to  use  in 
blast  furnaces,  though  it  will  require  a  higher  pressure  of  blast 
on  account  of  its  density,  than  charcoal  or  coke.  As  far  as  its 
application  for  all  practical  purposes  is  concerned,  it  is  undoubt- 


92  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

edly  fully  equal  to  Pennsylvania  anthracite,  and  really  the  best 
fuel  discovered  so  far  in  the  West. 

Between  these  two  mines  exists  a  bed  of  excellent  fire-clay. 
It  has  been  thoroughly  tested,  and  proved  to  be  fully  adapted  as 
fire-proof  material  for  furnaces. 

Coal  banks  have  been  opened  at  a  number  of  points  to  the 
north  of  the  above  mines,  and  the  proof  is  conclusive  that  it  ex- 
ists in  large  quantities.  Between  the  clay  and  the  following 
sandstone  stratum,  beds  of  iron  ore  are  found.  Both  carbonate 
and  hematite  are  present.  Ores  of  this  kind,  as  well  as  veins 
of  magnetic  iron  of  great  purity,  abound  in  this  vicinity. 

The  existence  of  mines  of  gold  and  silver,  of  lead,  zinc, 
copper  and  antimony,  and  of  the  different  ores  of  iron,  in  almost 
immediate  connection  with  deposits  of  anthracite  coal,  and  fire- 
proof material,  indicates  at  once  the  valleys  of  the  Galisteo  and 
Santa  F6,  as  points  which  have  all  the  natural  requirements  to 
guarantee  the  erection  upon  a  large  scale  of  metallurgical  works 
and  machine  shops  for  railroads,  etc. 

Other  coal  beds  have  been  found  in  the  county  of  Santa  Fe, 
mainly  upon  the  Santa  Fe,  the  Tesuque,  and  the  Galisteo 
streams. 

In  the  Tijeras  canon,  in  Bernalillo  county,  a  mile  and  a  half 
above  the  town  of  Tijeras,  a  vein  of  bituminous  coal  four  and 
a-half  feet  thick,  was  seen  and  traced  by  sinking  shafts  along  the 
vein  for  a  distance  of  two  thousand  feet,  by  the  engineer  of  the 
railroad  survey. 

In  the  Pecos  valley  coal  has  been  found  in  various  localities, 
and  also  in  the  Gallinas  valley,  in  San  Miguel  county.  There 
is  a  fine  bed  of  it  five  miles  above  the  town  of  Anton  Chico,  on 
the  Pecos,  and  another  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Chupaines 
mountain,  near  the  town  of  Las  Vegas,  on  the  Gallinas. 

In  the  Cimarron  section  a  large  vein  of  coal,  fourteen  feet 
thick,  is  reported  on  Babbit  Ear  Creek,  four  miles  below  the 
wagon  road  ford. 

Accessible  to  the  Bio  Grande  valley,  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Galisteo  southward  to  El  Paso,  a  large  amount  of  coal  is  found. 
The  following  are  the  localities  reported,  of  which  those  on  the 
Puerco,  in  Tijeras  canon,  and  near  Don  Pedro,  are  the  only  ones 
that  have  been  actually  examined. 


METALS   AND    MINING,    HOT   SPRINGS,    ETC. 


1st.  Near  San  Felipe,  thickness  and  quality  reported  good. 
2d.  Six  miles  east  of  Algodones,  reported  very  good. 
3d.  In  Tijeras  canon,  already  referred  to,  4£  feet  thick,  qual- 
ity at  outcrop  not  very  good;  expected  to  improve  when  opened. 

4th.  West  of  Los  Lunas  on  the  Puerco,  of  fair  quality — has 
been  used  in  government  shops. 

5th.  Near  La  Joya,  on  east  side  of  river. 

6th.  In  the  Sierra  Magdalena,  west  of  Socorro. 

7th.  North  of  Fort  Craig,  8  miles  east  of  Don  Pedro,  vein  5£ 
feet  thick.  Dr.  Leconte,  geologist,  examined  this  bed,  and 
reports  it  of  good  quality,  and  that  it  may  be  worked  for  many 
years. 

8th.  In  the  Caballo  mountains,  on  east  side,  below  Craig. 

9th.  At  Bobledo. 

10th.  Abundantly  near  Dona  Ana  and  Mesilla,  on  both  sides 
of  Bio  Grande,  3  feet  thick  of  good  bituminous  coal. 

In  reference  to  the  proposed  railroad  branch  from  Albur- 
querque  to  El  Paso  and  Chihuahua,  these  deposits  along  the  Bio 
Grande  assume  great  importance.  They  will  furnish  a  large 
traffic  to  the  road,  besides  enabling  it  to  be  operated  cheaply. 
They  are  also  invaluable  to  the  mines  of  silver,  gold,  copper,  lead 
and  iron,  which  line  both  sides  of  the  Rio  Grande  almost  continu- 
ously, enabling  these  ores  to  be  cheaply  produced  and  smelted; 
and  they  will  furnish  fuel  to  the  large  agricultural  population 
which  will  before  long  fill  up  this  un wooded  valley. 

Coal  and  iron  are  generally  associated,  that  is  to  say,  the 
widely  spread  ores  of  iron  are  generally  found  in  connection 
with  workable  coal  beds,  and  their  value  depends  much  upon 
this  connection.  Becent  extended  examinations  show  that  the 
largest  and  most  valuable  of  the  recent  coal  deposits  are  connec- 
ted with  the  tertiary  strata,  such  being  the  formation  in  which 
the  thick  beds  of  carbonaceous  deposits  are  met  with  along  the 
eastern  slope  of  the  Bocky  Mountains,  extending  from  the 
vicinity  of  Long's  Peak,  to  the  western  tributaries  of  the  Ar- 
kansas in  Colorado,  and  the  Cimarron,  the  Canadian  and  the  Pecos 
in  New  Mexico.  But  besides  these  well  determined  beds,  so 
conveniently  located  for  railroad  purposes,  we  meet  with  other 
deposits  in  the  valley  of  the  Bio  Grande,  the  Puerco  of  the 


94  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

west,  the  San  Jose  and  Ojo  Pescado,  showing  an  extension  of  the 
coal  deposits  fully  two  hundred  rhiles  west  of  the  Rio  Grande.  The 
precise  character  of  these  deposits  is  not  yet  fully  determined; 
most  of  the  beds  here  exposed  consist  of  thin  irregular  seams, 
widening  out  at  points  to  a  workable  thickness,  and  at  other 
times  associatated  with  igneous  protrusions  that  have  converted 
them  into  anthracite.  The  most  promising  of  these  beds  are 
those  connected  with  the  Puerco  coal  basin;  they  present  a  suc- 
cession of  beds  from  two  to  five  feet  in  thickness,  generally 
steeply  inclined  and  associated  with  shales  and  sandstones,  con- 
taining frequent  bands  of  iron  ore.  To  determine  satisfactorily 
the  precise  character  and  actual  value  of  these  deposits  would 
require  detailed  examinations  and  extensive  excavations,  which 
can  be  more  advantageously  effected  in  the  process  of  railroad 
construction.  In  the  meantime  the  large  extent  of  country 
over  which  these  deposits  are  found,  warrants  a  reasonable 
expectation,  that  when  thoroughly  examined,  the  coal  product 
of  this  section  will  be  ample  to  meet  the  requirements  of  rail- 
road fuel,  and  also  afford  freighting  material  for  transportation 
to  destitute  districts. 

Other  crude  material  connected  with  the  work  of  economical 
railroad  construction,  such  as  building-stone,  lime,  cement, 
gypsum,  clay,  etc.,  are  located  along  the  surveyed  line  of  the 
road  at  such  distances  that  they  can  be  conveniently  employed 
in  processes  of  first  construction  and  repairs,  and  also  afford 
material  for  transportation.  In  this  class  is  especially  noticeable 
the  superior  quality  and  great  abundance  of  rock,  suitable  for 
buildings  or  heavy  masonry,  which  in  different  varieties  of 
texture  and  composition  adapt  them  to  a  great  variety  of  special 
uses. 

In  general  terms  it  would  be  safe  to  assert  as  the  result  of 
observations  over  this  entire  mineral  region,  extending  from  the 
eastern  base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific  coastj  that  the 
proper  railroad  facilities  comprise  all  that  is  necessary  to  induce 
capital  and  labor  to  enter  into  this  new  field  of  mining  industry, 
and  develop  to  the  fullest  extent  its  productive  resources. 

Enough  has  been  shown  in  the  foregoing  to  prove  that  a 
large  amount  of  good  coal  is  found  between  the  Arkansas  river 
and  the  Pacific,  sufficient  not  only  to  answer  all  the  purposes  of 
a  trans-continental  railroad,  and  the  resident  mining,  manufac- 


METALS    AND    MINING,    HOT   SPRINGS,    ETC.  95 

turing  and  farming  population,  but  to  furnish  a  large  traffic  for 
transportation  to  less  favored  districts. 

The  coal  trade  will,  in  all  likelihood,  be  one  of  the  largest 
sources  of  business  such  a  road  will  have.  It  remains  to  be 
ascertained  whether  the  varieties  found  are  as  well  adapted  to 
the  reduction  of  iron,  as  they  undoubtedly  are  to  locomotive  use. 
If  so,  the  supplies  at  Canon  City,  on  the  Vennejo,  in  Colorado, 
and  near  the  Placer  mountains,  and  along  the  Bio  Grande,  in 
New  Mexico,  will  prove  of  the  greatest  value,  in  consequence  of 
their  occurring  in  connection  with  rich  beds  of  iron  ore,  and 
close  to  limestone.  And,  before  long,  we  may  expect  this 
country  to  be  filled  with  furnaces  and  rolling  mills  like  the 
rugged  mountains  of  Wales. 

Mineral,  and  warm  and  hot  springs  are  met  with  in  almost 
every  portion  of  New  Mexico.  We  shall  briefly  refer  to  some  of 
them.  The  principal  hot  springs  are  found  respectively  near 
Las  Vegas,  in  San  Miguel  county,  near  Don  Fernandez,  in  Taos 
county,  at  Ojo  Caliente,  in  Bio  Arriba  county,  near  Jemez,  in 
Santa  Ana  county,  near  Fort  McBae,  in  Socorro  county,  and 
Fort  Selden  in  Dona  Ana  county,  and  at  Mimbres,  in  Grant 
county. 

The  Las  Vegas  spring  is  about  six  miles  above  that  town  on 
the  west  bank  of  the  Gallinas.  The  spring,  on  account  of  the 
valuable  medicinal  qualities  of  the  water,  has  a  fine  reputation, 
and  the  locality  is  a  pleasant  place  of  resort.  Many  invalids 
visit  it  from  the  States,  and  from  the  surrounding  country,  the 
accommodations,  both  for  invalids  and  visitors,  being  excellent. 

The  Don  Fernandez  spring  is  situated  at  the  foothills  of  the 
mountain  near  Los  Banchos,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Bio  Grande 
de  Taos,  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  from  it,  and  about  six 
miles  from  the  town  of  Don  Fernandez  de  Taos.  The  water  is 
of  a  good  temperature  for  bathing,  the  spring  being  more 
properly  a  "warm"  than  a  "hot"  spring,  and  is  said  to  possess 
valuable  healing  qualities. 

The  Ojo  [Caliente  spring  is  one  possessing  an  excellent  repu- 
tation, due  to  the  acknowledged  efficacy  of  its  water  in  curing  dis- 
ease. The  accommodations  are  also  good  and  ample,  though  the 
surroundings  are,  perhaps,  not  so  attractive  to  the  pleasure-seeking 
visitor.  It  is  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  old  Mexican 


96  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

town  of  Ojo  Caliente  to  the  east,  the  spring  being  immediately 
on  the  west  bank  of  the  stream*of  the  same  name,  and  the  town 
standing  on  the  elevation  at  the  east  edge  of  the  river  valley. 
The  stream  and  the  town  take  their  names  from  the  spring — 
ojo  caliente — being  the  Spanish  for  hot  spring.  From  the  city 
and  neighborhood  of  Santa  Fe  the  resort  receives  a  large  pro- 
portion of  its  visitors. 

The  Jemez  spring  is  near  the  Mexican  town  of  Canoncito, 
and  about  12  miles  north  of  the  Indian  pueblo  of  Jemez,  the 
town  and  pueblo  standing  upon  the  Jemez  river,  and  the  spring 
upon  the  east  bank  of  its  tributary,  the  Ojo  Caliente  creek,  in 
San  Diego  canon,  about  fifty  miles  west  of  Santa  Fe.  At  pres- 
ent there  are  no  adequate  accommodations  for  visitors.  The 
healing  qualities  of  the  water,  which  is  of  a  high  temperature, 
are  said  to  be  very  good,  and  some  instances  of  remarkable 
cures  in  our  knowledge  attest  the  fact.  The  spring  is  more 
generally  resorted  to  from  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  Fish- 
ing and  hunting  is  good  in  the  vicinity,  and  the  place  is  often 
made  the  headquarters  of  sporting  parties  from  Santa  F6.  The 
Fort  McRae  springs  called  the  Caballo  hot  springs,  are  about  five 
and  a  half  miles  southwest  from  the  fort,  near  the  Rio  Grande. 
They  burst  out  from  the  foot  of  a  mesa  or  table-land,  form  some 
large  natural  bathing  pools,  and  discharge  into  the  river  about 
half  a  mile  distant.  They  have  a  temperature  of  about  136° 
Fahrenheit,  and  contain  soda,  lime,  magnesia,  and  many  other 
chemical  ingredients,  a  full  analysis  never  having  been  published, 
which  have  brought  them  in  great  repute  for  curing  rheumatism 
and  all  scrofulous  and  cutaneous  diseases.  There  are  as  yet  no 
adequate  accommodations  for  the  reception  and  care  of  visitors 
and  invalids;  but  as  the  place  shall  become  more  and  more  one 
ef  resort  that  want  will  naturally  become  supplied . 

The  Mimbres  springs  are  two,  a  warm  and  a  hot  spring.  The 
former  boils  up  out  of  nearly  level  ground,  the  surrounding  plain 
being  volcanic.  The  stream  it  emits  would  about  fill  a  six-inch 
pipe,  and  affords  enough  water  to  irrigate  the  land  for  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  below.  The  temperature  is  about  the  proper 
one  for  bathing.  We  are  not  aware  whether  the  properties  of 
the  water  are  mineral.  The  hot  spring  in  the  same  vicinity  is  a 
great  natural  curiosity.  It  is  circular,  twenty-two  feet  in 
diameter,  and  rises  to  the  top  of  a  mound  about  one  hundred 


METALS   AND     MINING,    HOT   SPRINGS,    ETC.  97 


feet  high,  and  four  hundred  feet  in  diameter  at  base,  and  one 
hundred  at  top.  The  mound  is  very  isolated,  looming  up  prom- 
inently above  the  surrounding  volcanic  plain,  and  appears  to 
have  been  thrown  up  by  the  action  of  the  elements  beneath. 
Its  exterior,  like  the  portion  surrounding  the  water  in  the  spring, 
has  the  appearance  of  having  once  been  liquid,  and  poured  out 
as  it  were  over  the  entire  surface  of  the  mound.  The  water  is 
so  hot  that  the  hand  cannot  remain  in  it  more  than  three  seconds, 
without  being  withdrawn.  A  goat  leaped  into  the  spring,  and, 
though  remaining  only  a  few  seconds  of  time,  on  being  taking 
out  it  was  lifeless,  and  completely  deprived  of  hair.  This  spring 
is  celebrated  in  southern  New  Mexico  for  the  healing  qualities 
and  efficacy  of  its  water,  particularly  in  chronic  cases.  Both  the 
warm  and  the  hot  spring  are  in  township  20  south,  of  range  11 
west,  the  former  in  section  18,  and  the  latter  in  section  20  of  the 
township,  about  twenty-five  miles  southeast  from  Silver  City. 

In  proper  connection  with  the  mention  we  have  made  of  the 
various  national  productions  and  characterics  of  New  Mexico, 
comes  a  reference  to  what  is  known  of  our  native  jewels.  The 
garnets  found  in  the  Navajo  country,  in  the  northwestern  section 
of  the  Territory,  are  abundant,  and  of  good  quality,  and  their 
existence  there  has  been  long  known.  We  are  not  aware  of  any 
discoveries  of  precious  stones  in  any  considerable  quantity  in 
any  other  section  of  the  Territory.  The  United  States  Surveyor 
General  for  New  Mexico  in  his  annual  report  for  1872,  in  writing 
of  the  diamond  region,  so  called,  in  northwestern  New  Mexico 
and  northeastern  Arizona,  and  in  referring  to  a  collection  of 
specimens  received  by  him  from  some  gentlemen  who  had 
recently  prospected  in  that  region,  says: — 

"  These  gentlemen  exhibit  and  present  to  me  a  considerable 
quantity  of  precious  stones  of  great  brilliancy  and  beauty,  which 
they  assure  me,  and  I  believe,  were  found  in  the  region  spoken 
of.  Among  these  stones  are  said  to  be  well  authenticated  and 
thoroughly  tested  rough  diamonds.  There  are  also  the  following 
classes  of  rough  stones: — True  oriental  ruby,  hyacinth  ruby, 
spinel  ruby,  garnet,  sapphire  proper,  emerald,  zircon,  topaz  of 
different  colors,  amethyst,  opal  of  different  varieties,  corundum, 
crystalized  alumina,  black  carbon  or  diamond,  beryl,  tourmaline, 
and  various  other  kinds  of  native  jewels  of  commercial  value.  I 
am  also  assured  that  the  same  region  contains  many  very  fine 

7 


98  BEEVOOBT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

specimens  of  crystalized  fossils,  including-  really  immense  quan- 
tities of  petrified  wood,  the  latter  occurring  in  what  is  •  called 
fossil  groves  or  forests.  The  soil  where  the  precious  stones  have 
so  far  been  found  in  this  district  is  composed  of  crystalline  mat- 
ter and  conglomerate,  crushed,  broken,  and  disintegrated  by  the 
action  of  the  elements  and  other  natural  causes.  There  is  evi- 
dence of  volcanic  influences  in  the  geological  formation,  lava 
and  scoria  occurring  frequently  and  in  considerable  quantities 
and  masses.  The  prevailing  rock  is  red  and  gray  sandstone, 
the  formation  having  the  appearance  of  a  sedimentary  deposit. 
All  stones  so  far  found  have  been  picked  up  upon  the  surface  of 
the  earth  in  natural  washings,  and  upon  the  ant  hills.  It  is 
believed  that  when  proper  energy  is  bestowed  upon  this  branch 
of  industry  in  that  region  it  will  become  of  commercial  import- 
ance. The  distance  from  Santa  Fe  to  Fort  Defiance,  near  where 
the  stones  are  found,  is  about  200  miles  due  west." 

The  total  yield  of  the  precious  metals  in  the  United  States 
during  1873  is  said  to  have  been  $72,258,000,  being  an  increase 
of  about  $10,000,000  over  that  of  1872,  and  nearly  one-half  of 
which,  $35,000,000,  chiefly  in  silver,  was  contributed  by  Nevada. 
Of  the  balance  it  is  stated  California  contributed  about  $18,000,- 
000,  Utah  $5,000,000,  Colorado  $4,000,000,  Montana  $4,000,000, 
Idaho  2,000,000,  Oregon  $1,500,000,  Washington  $225,000,  and 
Arizona  $48,000.  We  believe  there  is  included  in  the  $72,000,- 
000,  about  $1,225,000  from  British  Columbia,  and  about  $1,000,- 
000  from  Mexico. 

It  is  very  noticeable  thatinthis  statement,  which  in  substance 
is  being  published  in  the  press  all  over  the  world,  there  is  an 
entire  omission  of  any  reference  to  the  produce  of  precious  metals 
in  New  Mexico,  unless  the  amount  is  included — as  much  else  of 
our  productions  are — in  the  amount  credited  to  Colorado.  The 
editor  of  the  News,  at  Mesilla,  New  Mexico,  states  that  it  is  safe 
to  allow  for  the  gold  and  silver  brought  to  that  place  from  Silver 
City  and  vicinity,  in  the  adjoining  county  of  Grant,  during  the 
year  1873,  at  $3, 000  a  week,  which  gives  $156,000  from  Grant 
county  alone.  To  this  must  be  added  the  amount  taken  out  at 
the  mines  near  Socorro,  and  in  Colfax  county,  which  together 
will  be  about  the  same  as  from  Grant.  Considerable  gold  and 
silver  have  also  been  found  in  Santa  Fe,  Taos,  and  Lincoln 
counties,  and  a  portion  of  the  San  Juan  mines  are  also  south  of 
the  Colorado  line.  These  amounts  must  reach  as  high  as  $350,- 


METALS   AND    MINING,    HOT   SPRINGS,    ETC. 


99 


000.  We  hope  the  people  of  New  Mexico  and  their  press,  says 
the  editor,  will  unite  in  gathering  the  statistics  of  not  only  our 
crop  of  precious  metals,  but  also  of  the  wool,  hides  and  pelts 
shipped,  and  stock  driven  from  this  Territory,  that  it  may 
receive  the  credit  due  for  its  productions. 

In  concluding  the  foregoing  chapter,  embracing  the  subject  of 
mines  and  (quartz  and  placer  gold)  mining  in  New  Mexico,  we 
deem  it  proper  to  append,  for  ready  reference,  for  the  use  and 
benefit  of  miners  and  other  dealers  in  gold  dust  the  folio  wing  table: 

Shoiving  the  value  of  any  amount  of  Gold  Dust,  from  1  grain 
to  2O  ounces,  at  $16  to  $23  per  ounce. 


No 

$16  00 

$17  00 

$18  to 

$19  00 

$20  00 

$21  00 

$22  00 

$-23  00 

per  oz. 

per  oz. 

per  oz. 

per  oz. 

per  oz. 

per  oz. 

per  oz. 

per  oz. 

1 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

2 

32 

34 

36 

38 

40 

42 

44 

46 

3 

48 

51 

54 

57 

60 

63 

66 

69 

4 

64 

68 

72 

76 

80 

84 

88 

92 

5 

80 

85 

90 

95 

100 

105 

110 

115 

•  6 

96 

102 

108 

114 

120 

126 

132 

138 

7 

112 

119 

126 

133 

140 

147 

154 

161 

8 

128 

136 

144 

152 

160 

168 

176 

184 

9 

144 

153 

162 

171 

180 

189 

198 

207 

10 

160 

170 

180 

190 

200 

210 

220 

230 

1 

80 

85 

90 

95 

100 

105 

110 

115 

2 

160 

175 

180 

190 

200 

210 

220 

230 

3 

240 

255 

270 

285 

300 

315 

330 

345 

4 

320 

340 

360 

380 

400 

420 

440 

460 

5 

400 

425 

450 

475 

500 

525 

550 

575 

6 

480 

510 

540 

570 

600 

630 

660 

690 

7 

560 

595 

630 

665 

700 

735 

770 

805 

8 

640 

680 

720 

760 

800 

840 

880 

920 

9 

720 

765 

810 

855 

900 

945 

990 

1035 

10 

800 

850 

900 

950 

1000 

1050 

1100 

1150 

1 

8* 

B} 

3} 

4 

H 

4J 

4J 

4} 

2 

6J 

7 

8 

8-| 

9 

3 

10 

10J 

ll| 

12 

121 

13 

lo^ 

I4J 

4 

13| 

14 

15 

16 

16f 

17J 

18 

19 

5 

174 

18f 

20 

201 

21f 

22i 

23} 

6 

203 

21 

22i 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28J 

7 

23i 

24i 

26J 

28 

29i 

30i 

31} 

33i 

8 

26| 

28 

30 

32 

33i 

34| 

36 

38 

9 

30 

31J 

33f 

36 

37| 

39 

40i 

42} 

10 

33J 

35 

37J 

40 

41f 

43i 

45 

47J 

100  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

MANUFACTURING  FACILITIES. 
We  in  New  Mexico  depend  as  yet  almost  entirely  upon  for- 
eign markets  for  the  purchase  of  all  the  manufactured  articles  in 
use  among  us.  Iron,  nails,  steel,  leather,  woolen  fabrics,  every- 
thing indeed,  is  bought  away  from  home,  and  transported  over  the 
Plains,  when  every  one  of  the  articles  named  could  be  economically 
manufactured  here.  In  the  present  method  of  furnishing  our 
markets  with  these  supplies,  millions  of  dollars  are  drained  from 
the  Territory  which  never  return,  and  which  go  into  the  pock- 
ets of  manufacturers  in  the  States.  The  elements  of  manufactu- 
ring success  ABOUND  IN  NEW  MEXICO.  Our  iron  ore  is  uncom- 
monly rich,  coal  abundant  and  labor  cheap.  There  is  not  one 
article  into  the  fabrication  of  which  iron  enters  but  what  could 
be  produced  as  cheaply  in  our  Territory  as  it  can  in  any  other 
part  of  the  United  States.  The  same  may  be  said  of  leather,  of 
which  article  there  is  also  a  large  amount  consumed  annually  by 
our  people.  Our  forests  abound  with  timber  which  yields  a  bark 
of  the  best  quality  for  tanning  purposes.  Thousands  of  hid6s 
are  yearly  thrown  away  as  worthless,  though  many  of  late  years 
are  exported.  With  these  inducements  before  them  it  is  strange 
to  say  that  the  people  have  neglected  this  branch  of  business 
entirely,  and  have  depended  on  the  States  to  get  leather  for  the 
most  ordinary  uses.  The  wool  which  our  sheep  would  give  for 
the  manufacture  of  cloth  is  almost  inexhaustible  in  quantity,  and 
could  be  bought  for  a  very  moderate  price.  Capital  applied  to 
either  of  these  branches  of  manufacturing  could  not  but  produce 
large  incomes  to  the  capitalist,  and  at  the  same  time  give  an  im- 
petus to  the  material  progress  of  the  Territory  that  would  be  as- 
tonishing. Our  wool  was  disposed  of  here  in  the  Territory  a  lew 
years  ago  at  from  nothing  up  to  ten  cents  per  fleece,  the  owners 
of  the  animals  being  glad  to  get  the  wool  from  the  sheep's  back 
without  trouble  to  themselves;  this  wool  was  transported  across 
the  plains  to  the  States,  there  manufactured  and  probably 
returned  here  in  cloth,  clothing  and  blankets,  to  be  sold  with  all 
the  costs  of  transportation,  profits,  labor,  etc.,  added. 

We  might  give  other  facts  and  illustrations — but  enough  has 
been  said  to  suggest  very  clearly  that  we  ought  to  develope  and 
avail  ourselves  of  the  manufacturing  materials  and  facilities  we 
possess.  We  will  here  but  briefly  refer  to  some  of  our  manu- 
facturing elements  and  facilities,  and  not  enter  into  that  detail 


MANUFACTURING   FACILITIES.  101 

of  facts  and  argument  which  could  be  arrayed,  and  which  would 
make  the  balance  sheet  show  in  dollars  and  cents  the  enormous 
net  profits  that  a  judicious  system  of  the  culture  of  the  soil,  the 
establishment  of  manufactories,  and  increase  and  improvement 
of  the  sheep,  horses  and  cattle  of  New  Mexico,  would  annually 
pour  into  the  pockets  of  our  people,  and  of  capitalists  who  would 
invest  in  this  way.  Manufacturing  in  the  Territory  can  hardly 
as  yet  be  said  even  to  be  in  its  infancy;  but  capital  which 
always  for  itself  searches  out  its  abiding  place,  will  ere  long  and 
in  due  time  discover  the  great  west  hereaway,  and  come  and 
grow  up  with  the  country. 

The  Commissioner  to  survey  the  route  for  the  Thirty-fifth 
Parallel  Railroad  across  New  Mexico,  in  his  report  of  the  survey 
says : 

"  Along  the  route  there  are  numerous  points  where  water 
power  can  be  used  to  great  advantage  for  the  manufacture  of 
wool,  the  stamping  and  reduction  of  ores,  etc. 

"  In  the  canons  of  the  Arkansas  river,  by  which  this  stream 
breaks  through  the  easterly  wall  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and 
obtains  an  outlet  to  the  great  plains,  there  is  an  unlimited  amount 
of  water  power,  fully  equal  to  the  best  in  New  England,  and 
which  will  create  at  these  points,  especially  near  Canon  City, 
very  large  manufacturing  and  metal  reducing  works.  The  Pur- 
gatory and  Pecos  rivers  also  furnish,  where  they  canon,  admir- 
able positions  for  water  power;  and  the  three  canons  of  the  Rio 
Grande,  between  the  mouth  of  the  Santa  Fe  river  and  the  San 
Luis  Park,  can  scarcely  be  surpassed  for  this  purpose. 

"  The  woolen  mill  at  Kroenig's,  near  Fort  Union,  New  Mex- 
ico, is  highly  successful.* 

• "  West  of  the  Rio  Grande,  as  well  as  east,  there  are  numer- 
ous smaller  canons  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  the  Sierra  Madre, 
the  Mogoyon  range,  the  Sierra  Nevada  and  Coast  range,  where, 
by  the  construction  of  dams,  a  portion  of  the  immense  volumes 
of  water  which  pour  dowTn  these  mountains  in  the  rainy  season, 
and  during  the  melting  of  the  snow,  may  be  economized  and 
applied  to  running,  on  a  limited  scale,  grist  and  saw  mills, 
stamping  machinery,  etc.  The  Canons  of  the  Little  Colorado 

*This  manufacturing  establishment,  the  only  one  in  the  Territory,  has  since 
been  destroyed  by  fire. 


102  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


and  the  Verde,  may  be  used  on  a  much  larger  scale,  while  the 
grand  canon  of  the  Colorado  probably  presents  facilities  that  are 
without  limit  if  they  can  be  made  available. 

"  If  our  line  should  follow  one  of  the  routes  suggested,  north 
of  Mount  Agassiz,  it  will  skirt  the  falls  of  the  Little  Colorado, 
where  this  river  enters  a  canon  100  feet  deep  and  200  feet  wide, 
affording,  it  is  estimated,  from  4,000  to  6,000  horse-power  in 
low  water,  and  suggesting  the  site  for  a  considerable  manufac- 
turing place.  There  is  the  greatest  abundance  and  variety  of 
mountain  timber  adjacent;  the  altitude  is  medium,  say  4,500 
feet  above  the  ocean;  the  valley  above  the  falls  fertile  and  ex- 
tensive; the  climate  exceedingly  healthy,  and  the  position  other- 
wise advantageous  as  being  immediately  at  the  base  of  the 
highest  range  on  the  route.  Here  may  be  the  great  cabinet 
shop  of  the  plains. 

"  Manufacturing  will  also  be  carried  on  at  various  points  along 
or  accessible  to  the  line,  where  coal  is  found  abundantly,  or  in 
connection  with  desirable  accessories.  For  instance,  on  the 
Arkansas,  below  the  Great  Canon;  south  of  the  Baton  moun- 
tain, near  Maxwell's*,  near  Las  Vegas,  in  New  Mexico — if  the 
beds  of  coal  should  prove  to  be  thick  enough;  at  the  eastern 
base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  near  Anton  Chico;  at  numerous 
localities  on  the  Rio  Grande,  on  the  slopes  of  the  Sierra  Madre, 
and  most  probably  on  the  Great  Colorado  river.  At  such  points, 
in  addition  to  coal,  we  find  attractive  positions  for  settlement — good 
land,  abundance  of  water,  timber,  and  a  healthful  and  genial 
climate. 

"  Several  of  these  localities  appear  to  offer  superior  induce- 
ments for  the  manufacture  of  iron  for  the  -many  purposes  of  a 
mining  country,  and  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  railroad  at  cen- 
tral points,  that  will  save  the  burthen  of  the  present  lengthy 
tran  spor  tat  ion. ' ' 

*  Now  the  town  of  Cimarron. 


EDUCATION.  103 


EDUCATION. 

Until  recently  this  important  subject  has  received  very  little 
practical  encouragement  in  the  Territory.  The  little  advance- 
ment it  had  received  was  solely  through  the  instrumentality  of 
private  enterprise.  Before  the  acquisition  of  the  country  by 
the  United  States,  in  1846,  as  evidenced  by  the  journals  of  the 
provincial  and  territorial  deputations  and  departmental  assem- 
bly, respectively,  the  legislative  bodies  of  the  province,  the  ter- 
ritory and  the  department  of  New  Mexico,  those  bodies  regu- 
larly made  provision  for  the  education  of  the  youth  of  the 
country  in  primary  education.*  They  do  not  appear  to  have 
ever  established  any  institution  of  learning  here,  or  indeed  to 
have  contemplated  giving  any  but  an  elementary  education  to 
the  youth.  The  salaries  provided  for  the  teachers  were  small, 
and  those  at  the  capital  were  paid  from  the  public  treasury  by 
appropriation,  while  in  the  different  jurisdictional  partidos,  into 
which  the  country  was  divided,  the  prefects  thereof  were  required 
to  see  that  schools  were  provided  and  were  maintained  by  local  tax- 
ation or  from  a  retained  portion  of  the  re  venue  collected  for  the  gen- 
eral treasury.  But  since  the  change  of  government  at  that  time, 
and  the  inauguration  of  new  laws,  usages  and  customs,  the  state, 
until  within  the  last  three  or  four  years,  had  ceased  in  New 
Mexico  to  afford  any  encouragement  whatever  to  the  education 
of  the  rising  generation  in  the  Territory ,  whose  legislatures  have 
allowed  one  generation  at  least  to  grow  up  without  any  provision, 
so  far  as  they  are  concerned,  for  its  education.  The  legislature 
of  1871,  however,  enacted  the  existing  public  school  law,  which 
appears  to  be  satisfactory  to  the  friends  of  education  here.  Cer- 
tainly the  system  of  schools  and  their  operation  under  it,  seem  to 
progress  well,  and  the  great  beneficial  results  of  the  law  are 
everywhere  manifest. 


*  About  the  first  action  we  are  aware  of,  had  legislatively  concerning  educa- 
tion, was  the  adoption  of  a  resolution  by  the  provincial  deputation,  April  27, 
1822,  at  the  close  of  the  war  for  national  independence,  declaring  that  it  was  the 
duty  and  the  intention  of  the  province  to  provide  ways  and  means  for  the  edu- 
cation of  the  youth  of  New  Mexico. 


104  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

As  fully  and  sufficiently  presenting  the  actual  condition  of 
education  in  the  Territory,  we  subjoin  the  following  official 
information  on  the  subject  from  the  federal  Secretary  of  State 
for  New  Mexico,  charged  by  the  territorial  statute  with  the  gen- 
eral superintendency  of  schools  therein: — 

TERRITORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 

OFFICE  or  THE  SECRETARY, 

Santa  Fe,  Dec.  31,  1873. 

Hon.  JOHN  EATON, 

Commissioner  of  Education 

In  answer  to  your  inquiries  of  October  1st,  and  December 
19th,  respectively,  for  "information  respecting  schools  in  New 
Mexico,"  for  your  report  of  1873,  I  have  the  honor  to  post 
you  the  following: 

The  public  school  law  of  New  Mexico  creates  a  board  of 
supervisors  and  directors  of  public  schools  for  each  county, 
consisting  of  three  persons  elected  biennially,  with  the  Probate 
Judge  of  the  county  as  ex-officio  president  of  the  board.  "The 
sole  and  entire  management,  supervision  and  control,"  is  given 
to  this  board,  "of  the  public  schools  within  their  respective 
counties;"  as  also  is  the  "entire  and  exclusive  management  and 
supervision  of  the  school  funds  of  the  respective  counties,  and 
of  the  control  and  expenditure  thereof." 

THE   SCHOOL   FUND 

consists  of  25  per  cent,  of  the  entire  tax  on  property,  a  poll  tax 
of  $1.00  on  every  male  citizen  above  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years,  and  any  "surplus  of  more  than  five  hundred  dollars  in 
the  treasury  of  any  county,  after  paying  the  current  expenses  of 
such  county." 

This  school  law  and  the  provision  for  the  school  fund  was 
enacted  by  the  Legislative  Assembly  of  1871-72,  and  is  probably 
the  most  effective  law  that  the  friends  of  education  in  New  Mex- 
ico have  ever  succeeded  in  placing  on  the  statutes.  The  great- 
est practical  results  at  least  have  followed,  and  its  workings  have 
unquestionably  popularized  free  schools  throughout  the  Territory. 

The  better  to  learn  the  progress,  of  the  work  under  the  law, 
and  to  give  a  clear  idea  respecting  the  same,  on  the  receipt  of 
your  letter  in  October  last,  I  addressed  a  circular  letter  and  blank 
to  presidents  of  school  boards,  teachers  and  educational  men 


EDUCATION. 


105 


throughout  the  Territory,  asking  for  certain  statistics  therein 
indicated.  Most  of  these  persons  have  answered,  and  with  a 
commendable  interest.  Much  delay  has  been  unavoidably  in- 
curred by  reason  of  the  entire  absence  of  any  system  for  obtain- 
ing the  information  sought.  I  give  you  the  following  aggre- 
gated statement  of  the  schools  in  this  Territory. 


%$ 

H 

£+•  O     << 

g-3  < 

&$ 

SCHOOLS. 

g   | 

£ 

g 

5§^ 

t^   O     ?*^ 

fl 

FUNDS. 

CB     "•* 

1 

CD 

>-t 

C/3     O 

?*•(§ 

0 

y 

%  ? 

^^ 

*S 

Public    Schools 

supported  by 

S10-E. 

taxation  

133 

5625 

136 

Qi 

$28  69 

Ill  S 

$29  721  57 

12E.S 

Private  Schools 

26 

1370 

53 

9 

7  E. 

19E.S 

27,100  00 

Pueblo  Schools 

5 

107 

7 

6 

E. 

4,000  00 

164 

7102 

196 

$60  821  57 

Census   returns 

1870  —  public 

and    private 
schools  

44 

1798 

n 

29,886  00 

Increase  for  '73 

120 

5304 

134 

$30,935  57 

*  E  stands  for  English  and  S  for  Spanish. 

Bight  here  allow  me  to  digress  for  a  word,  and  call  the 
attention  of  those  who  within  the  past  year  or  two  have  seemed 
to  delight  in 

MISREPRESENTING  THE  EDUCATIONAL  INTERESTS 

of  New  Mexico  through  the  public  press  outside  of  the  Territory, 
both  east  and  west,  and  otherwise,  by  asserting  with  a  reckless- 
ness for  truth  astonishing  to  relate,  that  either  there  are  no 
schools  whatever  in  the  Territory,  or,  at  most,  a  number  ex- 
pressed by  a  unit  of  medium  value.  I  would  respectfully  refer 
those  making  th^se  erroneous  statements  to  the  census  report  of 
1870,  table  XII,  of  New  Mexico,  vol.  1,  and  to  the  report  of 
the  Commissioner  of  Education  for  1873,  where  will  be  found  the 
statement  above  set  forth  for  1870,  of  public  schools. 


106  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


We  glean  the  following  items  from  the  mass  of  local  reports 
at  hand.  There  is  taught  in  all  the  schools  reading,  writing, 
and  arithmetic,  grammar  in  41,  geography  in  34,  and  history  in 
17;  a  few  also  teach  other  of  the  higher  branches.  The  county 
of  San  Miguel  reports  two  public  schoo.  houses  worth  $  J  824. 43. 
In  Silver  City,  Grant  county, 

THE   LADIES   HAVE    FORMED   AN   EDUCATIONAL   SOCIETY, 

have  raised  a  fund  of  SI, 4 00,  and  express  a  determination  to 
increase  it  to  $2,500.  They  have  also  adopted  plans  for  a  brick 
school  house,  20x40  feet  on  the  ground,  and  we  doubt  not  that 
they  will  carry  the  enterprise  to  completion.  God  bless  the 
ladies!  A  subscription  is  also  out  in  Lincoln  for  the  same  noble 
purpose. 

Doubtless  there  are  other  enterprises  of  a  similar  character  in 
other  enterprising  towns,  of  which  mention  has  not  been  made. 
In  very  many  districts  the  use  of  a  school  room  is  donated;  in 
others,  rented  for  a  moderate  sum.  In  Dona  Ana  and  Grant 
counties  the  supervisors  of  public  schools  donate  their  per  diem 
allowed  by  law  to  the  school  fund. 

THE   SCHOOL   BOOKS 

used,  are  legion  in  variety,  and  run  from  a  sectarian  catechism 
to  Ollendorf  s  method.  School  books  are  very  generally  bought 
for  the  indigent.  So  deep  is  the  interest  in  some  of  the  counties, 
that  the  local  school  boards  have  made  inquiries  of  the  territorial 
officers,  if  there  was  not  a  law  or  some  means  by  which  the 
attendance  of  children  could  be  enforced.  One  county  reports 
that  boys  only  are  admitted  to  the  schools.  Four  public  schools 
reported,  are  combined  with  parochial  or  mission  schools.  Taking 
the  usual  percentage  of  children  relative  to  the  agregate  popu- 
lation, and  there  are  22,969  children  in  New  Mexico  of  school 
age.  Deduct  the  number  reported  attending  both  the  public 
and  private  schools,  and  we  find  still  in  the  Territory 

15,974   CHILDREN   ABSENTEES, 

in  most  cases  doubtless  without  the  opportunity  of  attending 
school.  Of  private  schools,  five  are  convents  under  the  control 
and  management  of  the  "  Sisters  of  Loretto"  with  an  attendance 
of  546  pupils,  120  of  whom  are  poor.  To  them  tuition  is  free. 
They  have  21  teachers,  and  an  income  of  $12,000.  Next  are  the 
schools  under  the  control  and  management  of  the  "Christian 


EDUCATION.  107 


Brothers"  (Catholic),  of  which  there  are  three;  two  of  these 
schools  have  an  attendance  of  180  pupils,  10  teachers,  and  an 
income  of  $5,450. 

There  is  also  a  Jesuit  school  at  Alburquerque.  There  are  two 
Presbyterian  Mission  schools  reported,  with  an  attendance  of  80 
pupils  and  three  teachers.  Tuition  generally  free.  There  is  also 
one  Methodist  Episcopal  Mission  school,  with  an  attendance  of 
80  pupils,  two  teachers,  and  an  income  of  $700. 

The  above  schools,  as  also  others  of  the  private  schools,  teach 
both  the  common  and  higher  English  and  Spanish  branches,  and 
will  doubtless  prove  of  great  value  in  educating  teachers.  Some 
of  them,  we  have  reason  to  believe,  are  model  schools. 

PUEBLO   INDIAN   SCHOOLS. 

We  learn  from  the  Pueblo  Agent,  that  two  of  these  schools 
are  under  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Missions,  but  that  they  are 
not  managed  in  a  spirit  of  sectarianism,  that  a  growing  interest 
is  manifest,  and  that  they  are  open  to  all  who  apply.  Twelve 
hundred  dollars  of  the  fund  is  contributed  by  the  Presbyterian 
Board,  and  $2,800,  by  the  general  government. 

THE   MANIFEST   NEED 

among  the  public  schools  at  this  time  is  a  uniform  system 
throughout  the  Territory, — something  in  the  nature  of  a  central 
board  of  commissioners  composed  of  practical  educators,  who 
feel  a  pride  in  the  work,  with  authority  to  establish  some  simple 
general  plan,  embodied  in  printed  form  for  the  government  of 
schools. 

The  necessity  for  such  board  is  intensified,  for  the  reason 
that  the  masses  of  the  people  are  entirely  unused  to  the  advanced 
systems  of  free  schools  of  the  present  day  and  age;  and  with 
few  honorable  exceptions  are  also  unacquainted  with  the  manage- 
ment of  public  schools  in  any  form.  There  is  scarcely  less  need 
for  public  school  buildings. 

There  is  also  a  want  of  uniform  school  books  in  individual 
schools,  and  also  of  competent  teachers,  both  in  English  and 
Spanish.  Some  standard  of  qualification  among  teachers  should 
be  adopted,  and  to  that  end  an  examining  officer  or  a  board  of 
examiners  is  an  absolute  necessity.  It  should  also  be  their  duty 
to  visit  and  examine  the  schools  at  stated  times. 


108  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


THE    LEGISLATIVE     ASSEMBLY, 

now  in  session,  shows  a  commendable  interest  in  behalf  of 
progress;  indeed,  we  may  say,  are  unanimously  in  favor  of 
further  legislation  to  that  end. 

A  joint  committee  has  been  appointed,  having  for  its  object 
a  revision  of  the  assessment  and  tax  laws,  the  improvement  of 
the  school  system,  so  as  to  admit  a  more  general  availability  of  its 
advantages,  and  an  increase  of  the  school  fund.  It  is  confidently 
expected  that  minor  differences  about  details  will  be  harmonized, 
and  healthy  progress  be  the  result. 

OF   THE    PEOPLE, 

it  is  simple  justice  to  say,  that  as  a  class  they  are  kind,  hospi- 
table, industrious,  tractable,  and  law  abiding;  and  in  point  of 
morals  and  integrity,  they  will  compare  favorably  with  very 
many  who  have  enjoyed  much  greater  advantages  in  life.  They 
pay  their  taxes  as  promptly  and  as  fully  as  any  people  in  the 
land;  and  submit  as  cheerfully  when  they  are  satisfied  that  a 
substantial  public  good  is  to  be  the  result. 

It  is  well  to  bear  in  mind  the  entirely  anomalous  condition 
of  the  people  and  Territory,  when  compared  with  any  other  state 
or  territory  in  the  Union,  and  that  the  power  has  not  in  all 
cases  been  vouchsafed  to  human  wisdom  to  eradicate  the  abuses 
of  years  in  a  day.  New  Mexico,  before  its  acquisition  by  the 
United  States,  had  been 

UTTERLY   NEGLECTED    FOR   GENERATIONS 

by  the  government  of  old  Mexico,  in  all  things  appertaining  to 
its  material  prosperity  and  social  advancement;  and  that  the 
people  were  only  cognizant  of  a  superior  power,  as  indicated  in 
the  presence  of  exacting  revenue  officers,  or  the  recruiting 
sergeants,  incident  to  the  chaotic  and  turbulent  state  of  a  govern- 
ment beset  with  revolutions  and  counter-revolutions,  which  in 
effect  were,  of  course,  most  paralyzing  to  productive  industries, 
exhausting  to  accumulated  resources,  and  which  made  even 
existence  itself  problematic.  In  those  times,  self-preservation, 
the  first  law  of  nature,  became  the  chief  thought  in  the  family 
circle,  and  the  main  business  of  life  with  each  family.  There 
was  no  time,  opportunity  or  impulse  for  social  or  intellectual 
improvement,  nor  had  there  been  for  generations.  Such,  in 
brief,  was  the  condition  in  which  the  government  found  the 


EDUCATION.  109 


people  at  the  time  the  Territory  became  part  of  the  Republic. 
They  were,  and  likewise  continued  to  be  for  a  long  time, 

BESET   ON    ALL   SIDES 

by  hostile  and  nomadic  Indian  tribes,  embodiments  of  all  the 
villainies  incident  to  unregenerate  man,  and  also  with  not  a  few 
of  the  outlaws,  a  hair- brained,  and  graceless  set,  ever  present  on 
the  frontier  of  an  advancing  American  civilization.  Scarce  had 
the  government,  through  the  civil  and  military  authorities, 
made  an  impression  toward  bringing,  order  out  of  chaos,  when 

FOLLOWED  THE   REBELLION, 

threatening  the  integrity  and  life  of  the  nation;  during  which 
event,  be  it  said  to  the  credit  of  the  people  of  New  Mexico,  they 
remained  true  to  the  flag,  and  cheerfully 

CONTRIBUTED   THEIR   QUOTA     OF   PATRIOTIC   CITIZENS 

towards  the  defense  of  ,her  soil  and  the  suppression  of  the 
rebellion.  This  event,  of  course,  still  further  kept  education 
and  progress  in  abeyance. 

Under  the  protection  which  they  have  enjoyed  from  the 
government,  more  particularly  for  the  past  few  years,  and  the 
freedom  from  oppression  of  the  old  government,  and  the  result- 
ant prosperity,  they  are  coming  to  think  of  those  matters  cal- 
culated to  better  their  condition  in  life,  and  not  the  least  of 
these  is  education. 

New  Mexico  has,  we  submit, 

MADE   A   COMMENDABLE  START 

in  educational  interests.  It  will  never  be  less;  but,  to  the  con- 
trary, is  destined  to  develope  and  grow  with  accelerating  pro- 
gression, ever  onward  with  the  approach  and  adveit  of  railroads 
and  telegraphs,  and  the  consequent  development  of  its  material 
resources,  its  rich  and  varied  mining  deposits,  its  extensive 
agricultural,  pastoral,  and  lumber  interests,  and  the  manu- 
factories, intelligent  immigration,  and  general  accessories  that 
hand  in  hand  naturally  accompany,  and  which  go  to  make  the 
sum  of  the  advancing  elements  of  a 

HIGHER   CIVILIZATION, 

in  store  for  the  near  future  of  New  Mexico. 
Very  Respectfully, 

W.  G.  HITCH, 

Secretary  of  New  Mexico; 


110  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


RAILROADS. 

There  is  as  yet  not  a  mile  of  railway  constructed  in  New 
Mexico,  though  various  important  roads  are  pointing-  this  way, 
and  are  in  course  of  construction.  The  roads  being  now  con- 
structed are  the — 

Atlantic  and  Pacific,  or  35th  Parallel ; 

Texas  Pacific,  or  32d  Parallel  ; 

Denver  and  Bio  Grande  Narrow  Guage  ; 

Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe. 

Several  others  are  projected,  and  charters  and  rights  of  way 
have  been  obtained,  the  two  principal  ones  being  the  New  Mex- 
ico and  Gulf,  and  the  Arkansas  Valley  and  Cimarron,  though 
we  believe  the  right  of  way  over  the  public  lands  conceded  by 
Congress  to  the  former  has  terminated,  owing  to  non-compliance 
with  its  conditions.  The  Arkansas  Valley  and  Cimarron  road 
proposes,  we  believe,  connecting  with  the  Atchison,  Topeka  and 
Santa  Fe  road,  starting  from  some  point  in  the  valley  of  the 
Arkansas  river,*  the  line  bearing  thence  in  a  southwesterly  di- 
rection, first  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Dry  Cimarron. 

The  necessity  and  importance  of  the  early  construction  and 
operation  of  railroads  in  New  Mexico  are  constantly  becoming 
more  and  more  manifest;  and  the  prospect  of  one  or  more  of 
them  reaching  and  of  at  least  one  of  them  traversing  the  Terri- 
tory in  the  early  future,  and  thereby  connecting  us  with  "the 
rest  of  mankind,"  is  rapidly  brightening.  The  United  States 
Surveyor  General  a  few  years  ago  officially  estimated  that 
including  the  wagons  used  for  government  transportation,  there 
were  used  for  freighting  from  the  States  to  New  Mexico  during 
the  year,  three  thousand  wagons;  that  the  average  burden  of 
each  was  five  thousand  pounds,  equal  in  the  aggregate  to 
fifteen  million  pounds  of  freight;  that  the  value  of  goods  im- 
ported from  the  States  amounted  to  three  millions  of  dollars,  of 
which  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  value  was  exported  into 
Mexico;  that  there  was  imported  from  Mexico  goods,  dried 
fruit,  &c.,  to  the  value  of  seventy-five  thousand  dollars;  and 
that  750,000  pounds  of  wool,  valued  at  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars,  was  exported  to  the  States;  an  estimate  of  the 
value  of  the  various  other  articles  and  items  of  domestic  trade 
not  being  attempted. 

*  The  Rio  Napeste  of  the  Mexicans. 


RAILROADS.  Ill 

The  Texas  Pacific  or  32d  Parallel  road,  says  United  States 
Surveyor  General  Proudfit  in  his  last  annual  report,  is  being 
rapidly  pushed  towards  us  in  New  Mexico  from  both  Texas  and 
California,  and  under  the  able  management  of  the  distinguished 
railroad  men  and  capitalists  who  now  control  it,  there  is  no 
doubt  of  its  early  completion.  This  road  will  enter  the  Terri- 
tory near  Paso  del  Norte,  or  Franklin,  on  the  Bio  Grande,  in  all 
probability,  and  continue  northwesterly  to  the  western  boun- 
dary of  the  Territory. 

The  Atlantic  and  Pacific,  or  35th  Parallel  road,  does  not  seem 
to  be  pushed  with  equal  energy,  but  it  has  a  fine  line,  running 
nearly  centrally  through  the  Territory,  east  and  west,  with  easy 
grades,  through  fine  grazing  and  irrigable  lands,  entirely  below 
the  line  where  snows  are  troublesome.  It  and  the  Texas  Pacific 
possess  the  two  best  lines  yet  projected  for  transcontinental  rail- 
ways, and  no  better  can  be  found.  It  also  possesses,  as  does  the 
Texas  Pacific,  a  magnificent  land  grant  in  this  Territory.  These 
lands  will  become  immensely  valuable  as  the  roads  progress 
through  them.  The  Atlantic  and  Pacific  road  is  of  much 
greater  importance  to  the  Territory  than  the  more  northern  line 
on  account  of  its  more  central  and  commanding  route;  and,  if 
built  to  the  Pacific,  it  would  beyond  all  question  speedily  become 
an  exceedingly  popular  and  profitable  road. 

The  Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe"  road,  with  its  present 
terminus  at  Granada,  Colorado,  is  being  rapidly  built  westward, 
and  it  is  confidently  expected  it  will  be  completed  to  Cimarron 
in  this  Territory,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  northeast 
from  Santa  Fe,  within  the  next  twelve  months.  Its  ultimate 
ambition  is  doubtless  to  reach  the  Pacific  ocean,  or  the  Mexican 
capital.  It  has  no  land  grant  west  of  Kansas,  but  is  more  de- 
serving in  this  respect  than  some  corporations  which  having 
large  grants  do  not  use  them  for  the  benefit  of  the  public  by 
building  the  roads  promised  when  the  grants  were  made. 

The  Denver  and  Bio  Grande  narrow-guage  road,  now  run- 
ning to  Pueblo,  Colorado,  with  a  branch  to  Canon  City,  has 
thrown  out  its  grading  parties  of  late  fifty  or  seventy-five  miles 
towards  our  Territory;  and  we  have  the  strongest  assurances 
that  it  means  to  come  down  the  valley  of  the  Bio  Grande, 
which  it  will  probably  enter  by  way  of  Sangre  de  Cristo  Pass. 


112  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

This  north  and  south  line  will  be  of  great  benefit  to  the  Terri- 
tory when  completed. 

Taken  all  in  all  the  prospects  of  this  Territory,  as  regards 
railroad  communication,  may  be  considered  as  very  flattering; 
and  with  their  advance  a  new  era  will  dawn  upon  New  Mexico. 
And  with  her  admirable  climate,  her  mineral  resources ,  her  bound- 
less pastures,  her  fruitful  valleys,  magnificent  and  sublime  scenery 
and  health-giving  mineral  waters,  she  will  draw  to  her  borders 
all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men,  who  will  build  up  a  common- 
wealth which  will  be  an  honor  to  the  great  nation  of  which  she 
will  form  a  part. 

One  of  the  most  practically  successful  railway  enterprises  of 
those  we  have  named,  is  the  Denver  and  Bio  Grande.  Its  west- 
ern terminus  is  now  at  Pueblo,  in  Colorado,  and  to  that  point  it 
is  doing  an  immense  freight  business.  With  a  capacity  of  200 
freight  cars  and  10  locomotives,  the  wants  of  the  shippers  along 
its  line  could  not  be  supplied.  There  are  eighty  cars  ordered 
and  two  new  locomotives,  to  be  supplied  in  the  month  of  Decem- 
ber. The  company  are  now  erecting  a  brick  round  house  at 
Denver,  and  making  many  improvements  along  the  line  of  their 
road.  This  narrow  guage  road  will  penetrate,  says  one  of  the 
Pueblo  journals,  one  of  the  richest  mineral  bearing  districts,  as 
well  as  the  great  pastoral  country  of  New  Mexico.  Southern 
Colorado  is  greatly  benefitted  and  developed  by  this  road.  The 
projectors  and  owners  of  this  road  should  meet  with  perfect 
success,  for  it  is  an  enterprise  that  required  energy  and  pluck  to 
place  it  in  a  prosperous  position. 

The  Arkansas  Valley  and  Cimarron  road,  in  the  first  portion 
of  its  route  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Dry  Cimarron,  will  traverse 
a  section,  which,  while  of  comparatively  small  value  for  farming 
purposes,  is  nevertheless  not  without  considerable  value  on 
account  of  its  great  advantages  as  a  grazing  district.  As  evi- 
dence of  this,  for  a  number  of  years  past  almost  countless  herds 
have  been  kept  in  this  district,  winter  and  summer,  with  the 
best  of  success.  Leaving  this  section  of  country,  and  continu- 
ing soutwestwardly,  the  line  crosses  the  Dry  Cimarron,  in  a 
beautiful  valley,  much  of  which  is  already  settled,  in  anticipa- 
tion of  the  time  when  the  advent  of  the  locomotive  will  place 
them  in  closer  communication  with  the  outside  world.  Thence 
continuing  the  same  course,  it  passes  for  a  few  miles  through 


RAILROADS.  113 


the  most  magnificent  scenery  that  one  could  imagine  or  desire. 
From  Capulin  mountain,  proceeding  westwardly,  the  line  begins 
to  descend  by  the  Tinaja,  a  small  stream,  to  the  Canadian  valley, 
and  thence  direct  across  a  beautiful  plain,  well  watered  by  the 
Canadian,  the  Vermejo,  the  Pofiil  and  the  Cimarron,  to  the  town 
of  Cimarron  in  Colfax  county.  The  route  of  the  uoad  has  been 
surveyed,  we  believe,  as  far  as  Cimarron,  and  although  the  loca- 
tion surveys  have  not  as  yet  been  prosecuted  west  of  that  point, 
a  series  of  examination  reconnoisances  have  been  made,  extend- 
ing westward  through  the  Spanish  range,  to  the  vtiiley  of  the 
Bio  Grande,  which,  while  demonstrating  that  no  less  than  three 
available  railway  passes  existed  within  fifty  miles  of  Cimarron, 
that  one — the  Taos  pass — was  eminently  practical.  To  reach 
this  pass  a  line  with  comparatively  light  work  and  easy  grades  is 
found  running  directly  from  Cimarron  up  the  valley  and  caiion 
of  the  Cimarron  river  to  the  Moreno  valley,  thence  keeping  up 
the  valley  to  the  summit,  across  and  down  Taos  creek  to  the 
city  of  Taos,  making  a  distance  from  Cimarron  to  Taos  of  only 
about  fifty  miles,  and  by  far  the  cheapest  and  best  crossing  of 
the  mountains  between  Alburquerque,  Santa  Fe  and  the  Black 
Hills,  and  at  the  same  time  passing  the  entire  distance  through  a 
country  that  will  afford  an  immense  local  traffic.  Not  only  this, 
but  reaching  the  Bio  Grande  valley,  it  at  once  opens  up  the  im- 
mense area  of  agricultural,  mineral  and  pastoral  country  to  the 
westward.  Another  route  is  proposed  from  Cimarron,  via  Las 
Vegas,  an  enterprising  town,  the  county  seat  of  San  Miguel  county, 
and  thence  to  the  Bio  Grande  by  way  of  Anton  Chico,  or  the 
Galisteo  creek. 

We  may  mention  another  proposed  New  Mexico  railway, 
which  if  constructed,  would  doubtless  be  a  very  useful  and  pop- 
ular road — we  mean  upon  a  route  from  the  Arkansas  river,  con- 
necting with  the  Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe  road,  and  also 
with  the  Kansas  Pacific,  and  running  from  the  Colorado  line 
through  Mora  county,  and  thence  due  west  into  Bio  Arriba 
county  to  the  Bio  Grande,  and  down  that  river  to  Santa  Fe, 
thence  to  Alburquerque,  making  a  junction  with  the  Atlantic 
and  Pacific  Bailroad,  and  then  down  the  Bio  Grande,  parallel 
with  the  river  to  El  Paso,  Mexico,  and  connecting  with  the 
Texas  Pacific  road,  in  southern  New  Mexico.  This  is  a  superior 
route  to  connect  Denver  and  Santa  Fe  with  the  east,  and  to  con- 


114  BREVOOKT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

struct  railways  to  the  Pacific  and  Gulf  of  Mexico,  because  the 
mountain  elevations  of  the  country  admit  of  their  being  built  at 
the  least  possible  expense,  because  it  traverses  a  country  exceed- 
ingly rich  in  minerals  which  would,  immediately  upon  their 
being  built,  make  them  self  supporting;  and  principally  because 
the  route  presents  no  solitary  obstacle  throughout  the  mountain 
portion  of  the  country  in  preventing  its  operation  with  the  same 
facility  in  winter  as  in  summer.  The  construction  of  a  road  on 
this  route  would  benefit  the  government  in  bringing  the  public 
domain  through  which  it  would  pass  into  market,  in  the  settle- 
ment of  the  Indian  troubles  in  Colorado,  New  Mexico  and  Ari- 
zona, and  the  opening  of  mineral,  agricultural  and  pastoral  lands, 
on  which  thousands  of  families  could  obtain  happy  homes,  all  of 
which  wrould  save  and  produce  more  annually  than  the  wrhole 
cost  of  the  road. 

In  the  case  of  railroads,  it  is  not  alone  the  resources  of  the 
country  immediately  traversed  that  contribute  to  the  trade  of 
the  road,  but  those  of  districts  even  somewhat  remote  from  the 
line,  which  will  be  immediately  rendered  greatly  more  accessible 
than  at  present,  and  will  gradually  be  put  into  direct  communi- 
cation by  branches.  Thus,  as  a  legitimate  and  certain  effect  of 
the  construction  of  the  trunk  line,  private  capital  will  hasten  to 
ruse  various  points  along  the  route  each  as  a  new  base  from 
which  to  strike,  in  order  to  tap  new  and  distinct  sources  of 
wealth  and  trade.  Thus,  when  the  35th  parallel  road  for  instance, 
is  made,  almost  immediately  a  branch  will  be  constructed  from 
Cheyenne  Wells  to  Denver,  reaching  by  the  shortest  practicable 
route  thegold  and  silver  mines  of  the  Clear  Creek  region — the  far- 
thest, nor.th  of  any  discovered  mineral  wealth  in  Colorado — and  the 
coal,  iron  ore,  and  manufacturing  facilities  at  Golden  City  and  Boul- 
der; and  another  branch  will,  at  an  early  day,  be  extended  up  the 
easy  grade — less  than  20  feet  per  mile — of  the  Arkansas  valley, 
to  the  coal,  timber  and  iron  ore  at  the  base  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, to  the  unexampled  manufacturing  facilities  at  the  Big 
Canon,  to  the. mines  of  gold  and  silver,  and  the  arable  parks  and 
valleys,  and, the  .unrivaled  pastures  of  southern  Colorado,  and  to 
that. most  promising  reservoir  of  the  precious  metals  near  the 
head  of  the  Arkansas,  and  in  the  South  Park.  As  mining  devel- 
opments advance,  this  line  will  be  pushed  on  westward  over 
the  great  continental  divide  at  Arkansas  Pass  (which  can  be 
crossed  with  a  grade  of  75  feet  per  mile),  to  the  waters  of  Grand 


RAILROADS.  115 


River,  and -so  on  eventually  through  western  Colorado  into  Utah. 
A.  southward  prong  of  this  line  will  be  extended  from  the 
Arkansas,  across  Punche  Pass  to  the  San  Luis  Park,  traversing 
that  beautiful  basin  for  its  whole  length,  and  opening  up  an 
extensive  mining  region  in  the  Spanish  Range,  on  the  east,  and 
the  San  Juan  mountains  on  the  west.  This  line,  by  gradual 
extension  southward  along  the  Rio  Grande,  tapping  the  Abiquin 
and  Jemez  copper  mines  en  route,  will  finally  again  intersect  the 
trunk  road  near  Alburquerque — the  whole  route  being  through 
a  country  of  good  resources,  and,  except  in  crossing  the  Punche 
Pass,  the  grade  nowhere  exceeding  20  feet  per  mile.  A  third 
branch  will  soon  be  constructed  from  Alburquerque  down  the 
valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  250  miles  to  El  Paso,  traversing  all 
the  way,  by  a  gmde  from  5  to  10  feet  per  mile,  a  broad,  pro- 
ductive valley  and  vineyard,  where  enough  good  wine  can  be  raised 
to  supply  the  United  States;  and  opening  up  the  mines  of  argen- 
tiferous galena  and  copper  in  the  Organ  range,  which  encloses 
the  valley  on  the  east  for  the  whole  distance,  and  of  gold  and 
silver  and  copper  in  the  Ladrones,  Socorro,  San  Mateo  and  Mim- 
bres  mountains  on  the  west;  the  coal  near  Fort  Craig,  and  the 
extraordinary  rich  deposits  of  copper  and  gold  at  Pinos  Altos 
and  Silver  City,  with  the  agricultural  wealth  of  the  Mesilla  val- 
ley. This  branch  will  be  extended  from  El  Paso,  200  miles 
more  across  a  gentle  mesa  to  the  City  of  Chihuahua,  the  capital 
of  the  rich  northern  states  of  Mexico,  which  have  produced  an 
amount  of  gold  and  silver,  compared  with  which  the  production 
of  California  and  all  our  mineral  states  and  territories  is  as  yet 
but  a  trifle;  where  in  a  single  small  mining  district,  that  of 
"  Santa  Eulalia,"  more  than  2 00  mines  were  formerly  worked  in  a 
space  of  two  square  leagues,  50  of  them  to  a  depth  of  600  feet,  and 
where  a  census,  taken  in  1833,  showed  that  $430,000,000  had, 
up  to  that  time,  been  taken  from  the  mines  in  this  single  limited 
district.  But,  although  the  population  of  the  city  of  Chihuahua, 
adjoining  Santa  Eulalia,  then  76,000,  has  dwindled  to  12,000, 
and  Very  few  of  the  mines  are  now,  by  reason  of  bad  govern- 
ment, and  its  result— insecurity  from  the  Indians,  worked  at  all, 
yet  great  wealth  is  still  there  to  reward  those  who  are  to  extract 
it  under  the  new  and  stimulating  influences  of  railroad  commu- 
nication. This  Chihuahua  branch  may  be  extended  to  Durango, 
and  eventually  to  the  city  of  Mexico,  opening  up  a  trade  with 
7,000,000  of  our  neighbors,  from  the  best  direction  to  benefit  the 


116  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

people  of  the  United  States.  This  is  in  many  respects  perhaps 
the  most  important  branch  of  all,  and  the  rich  traffic  that  it 
promises  will  induce  its  construction  promptly  after  the  main 
line  reaches  the  Bio  Grande  in  New  Mexico.  The  supplies  of 
Chihuahua,  Durango,  Zacatecas,  and  other  Mexican  states  which 
are  cut  off  from  the  ocean  by  high  mountain  barriers,  are  now 
wagoned  from  the  coast  in  Texas,  and  ivere  formerly  wagoned 
from  Missouri.  This  trade  will  be  at  once  restored  to  its  ancient 
channel,  and  vastly  enlarged,  when  the  track  reaches  Albur- 
querque.  The  people  of  Chicago  and  St.  Louis,  and  of  the 
cities  of  the  Mississippi  valley  south  of  the  latter,  will  then  be 
found  competing  for  the  supply  of  clothing,  machinery,  grocer- 
ies, etc.,  to  the  Mexican  states,  as  they  now  are  to  the  miners 
and  raiicheros  of  Colorado,  Montana  and  New*  Mexico.  The 
silent  but  certain  political  effect  of  this  influence  is  not  less 
notable  than  the  stimulus  to  trade.  The  ores  of  Silver  City  and 
Pinos  Altos,  west  of  the  Bio  Grande,  in  southern  New  Mexico, 
are  very  rich,  and  now  pay  for  wagoning  supplies  over  900  miles 
from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  at  Indianola.  What  a  development 
will  be  seen  in  such  a  region  with  the  railroad  finished  to  Albur- 
querque,  or  better  still,  with  the  Bio  Grande  branch  constructed, 
and  the  Apaches  fully  disposed  of.  In  western  New  Mexico 
branches  will  be  constructed  from  the  35th  parallel  northwest- 
ward and  southeastward  along  the  slopes  of  the  Sierra  Madre. 

The  transcontinental  road  or  roads,  destined  sooner  or  later 
to  traverse  this  Territory,  will  be  the  great  instrumentalities  of 
our  greatness  and  our  glory.  They  will  be  the  popular  vehicle 
of  a  very  large  proportion  of  that  commerce  between  the  two 
worlds,  now  carried  on  across  the  Isthmus,  over  the  seas,  and 
over  the  Union  Pacific  railroad.  But  aside  from  all  this,  and 
aside  from  our  own  exports  and  imports,  the  local  traffic  will  be 
very  considerable  and  important,  and  will  occasion  tap  railways 
everywhere,  and  network  the  Territory  with  them — for  there 
will  have  to  be  transported,  of  our  own  products  and  in  our  own 
commerce  and  business,  ores  in  large  quantities  to  favorable 
local  points,  where  they  may  be  reduced  by  water  power  or 
steam,  and  the  products  of  rich  placer  mines  from  dry  localities 
to  water;  wood  and  coal  to  the  mines,  reduction  works  and 
ranches;  timber,  lumber,  iron,  building  material,  etc.,  to  the 
mines  and  mills;  and,  when  the  native  manufacturing  resources 


PUBLIC   LAND.  117 


are  utilized,  clothing,  pottery,  blankets,  and  so  forth;  breadstuffs, 
vegetables  and  Iruits  from  the  valleys  to  the  mines  and  table- 
lands; passenger  travel,  the  United  States  mails,  live  stock  from 
the  pastoral  uplands  to  the  grain  growing  valleys  and  the  min- 
ing districts;  volcanic  ash  and  tufa  for  manures;  gypsum  for  the 
same  and  for  plaster;  marble,  serpentine,  granite,  and  other  like 
material;  mescal  and  pulque — and  innumerable  other  articles 
and  materials  which  enter  into  the  list  of  necessities  or  luxuries 
of  American  life,  and  a  great  many  new  products  pe'culiar  to 
the  combination  of  latitude  and  elevation. 


PUBLIC   LAND. 

The  United  States  surveyor  general  for  New  Mexico, 
James  K.  Proudfit,  states  that  at  this  time  there  are,  within 
the  area  of  121,201  square  miles  in  the  Territory,  embracing 

in  acres 77,568,640 

Military  reserves  surveyed 189,485 

Indian  reserves  surveyed ! 1,752,960 

Private  grants  surveyed 4,377,750 

Mines  and  town  sites  surveyed 705 

Townships  subdivided 4,839,480 

11,160,380 

Leaving  acres  unsurveyed 66,408,260 

Of  the_nearl£_fiye_  naiUipns  of  acres  of  surveyed  lands  in  the 
Territory  indicated  by  "  townships  subdivided,"  but  about  one 
and  a-half  millions  have  ever  been  placed  in  the  market  for  sale. 
This  has  been  done  in  a  single  instance,  which  was  the  sale  of  | 
August,  ordered  by  the  proclamation  of  the  President,  of  May,  j 
1870 — the  lands  then  proclaimed  being  those  lands  selected  for  | 
sale  by  the  General  Land  Office,  without  any  prior  consultation 
with  the  local  land  officers  for  ascertaining  in  which  of  the  sur-  I 
veyed  sections  of  the  country  lands  were  most  in  demand — 
whence  it  resulted,  of  course,  that  much  of  the  land  offered  in  ; 
the  sections  so  selected,  was  not  only  not  in  demand,  but  was  j 


118  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

not  public  land  at  all,  and,  consequently,  but  little  of  it — 
about  33,000  acres — has  been  sold.  We  are  indebted  to 
Captain  A.  G.  Hoyt,  register  of  the  United  States  land  office 
at  Santa  Fe,  for  a  memorandum  statement  of  the  localities,  and 
amounts  in  acres  of  the  lands  thus  placed  in  the  market,  and  of 
the  lands  taken  up  by  entry  and  purchase,  in  the  several 
counties  of  the  Territory. 

LANDS  OFFERED. 
In  Mora  county — on  the  Mora  river,  southeast  and  near 

Fort  Union 23,040 

In  Bio  Arriba  county — on  the  Valles  mountain,  near 

Baca  location 'No.  1 4,100 

In  Santa  Ana  county — on  the  Valles  mountain,  near 

Baca  location  No.  1 50,000 

In  Santa  Fe  county — in  the  southern  half 407,880 

In  San  Miguel  county — 45,410  acres  near  Baca  location 
No.  2,  on  the  Bio  Colorado,  454,915  on  the  Bio 
Colorado  and  Bio  de  las  Conchas,  and  92,475  on 
the  Bio  Pecos,  embracing  the  towns  of  Puerto  de 

Luna  and  Agua  Negra 592,800 

In  Socorro  county — on  the  east  side  of  the  Bio  Grande  229,790 
In  Lincoln  county — south-east  of  Fort  Stanton,  on  the 

Bio  Bonito,  Bio  Buidoso  and  Bio  Hondo 323,125 


Offered  lands  in  Territory 1,630,735 

LANDS  TAKEN  UP  BY  ENTRY  AND  PURCHASE. 

In  Mora  county,  acres 2,000 

In  Santa  Fe  county 7,000 

In  San  Miguel  county 22,000 

In  Lincoln  county 18,000 

In  Colfax  county 2,500 

In  Dona  Ana  county 500 

In  Grant  county 1,000 

In  Valencia  county 5,000 

Total  acres 58,000 

Two  railroads — the  thirty-second  parallel,  or  Texas  Pacific, 
and  the  thirty-fifth  parallel,  or  Atlantic  and  Pacific — have  each 
a  land  subsidy  in  New  Mexico,  the  great  body  of  the  land  along 
the  surveyed  route,  in  each  case,  lying  outside  of  the  portions  of 


PUBLIC   LAND.  119 


the  Territory  now  surveyed.  The  first  mentioned  road  has  in 
its  grant  in  New  Mexico  about  10,000,000,  and  the  other  about 
3,500,000  acres  of  land,  the  odd  sections  of  the  townships  in  the 
surveyed  regions  being  already  withdrawn  by  the  secretary  of 
the  interior  from  entry  and  sale,  and  the  even  sections  declared 
subject  to  the  laws  applicable  to  the  public  lands  within  railroad 
grants.  The  government  is  bound  under  the  laws  chartering 
the  roads  to  survey  and  subdivide  the  regions  embraced  by  the 
subsidies,  so  as  to  enable  the  companies  to  make  available  their 
landed  interests. 

Of  the jirea  of  the  public  lands  in  the  Territory  yet  unsur- 
veyed,  and,  of  course,  unoffered  and  not  disposed  of,  at  least 
one- tenth  is  susceptible  of  cultivation,  and  it  is  capable  of  sus- 
taining an  extremely  large  agricultural,  pastoral  and  mining 
population,  the  actual  amount  of  cultivable  land  in  the  valleys 
being  very  fertile  and  productive.  The  table-lands  and  plains 
are  inexhaustible  in  pasturage,  and  in  the  mountains  are 
treasures  of  vast  stores  of  mineral  wealth.  It  embraces  a 
country,  much  of  which  is  terra  incognita,  it  having  been  but 
very  partially  explored,  and,  so  far  as  metals  are  concerned, 
scarcely  at  all  prospected. 

"Of  this  vast  area  (of  121,201  square  miles,  or  77,568,640 
acres  in  New  Mexico)  the  Spanish  and  Mexican  grants,  which 
will  be  found  to  be  valid,  it  is  confidently  believed,"  says  Sur- 
veyer  General  Proudfit,  "will  not  exceed,  including  those  sur- 
veyed, an  aggregate  of  more  than  9,000,000  or  10,000,000  acres, 
or  approximately  one-eight  of  the  total  territorial  area.  A  very 
large  portion  of  the  unsurveyed  and  unclaimed  public  domain  of 
the  Territory  is  fine  agricultural,  grazing  and  timber  lands,  all 
of  which  are  increasing  in  value  and  desirability  as  the  prospect 
of  the  railroad  communication  with  the  States  becomes  more 
certain  of  fulfillment  in  the  near  future.  Two  of  the  roads  which, 
it  is  hoped,  will  soon  reach  the  Territory,  and  one  of  which — 
the  Texas  Pacific — is  being  pushed  with  great  vigor,  have  large 
land  grants  in  this  district,  and  will  expect,  as  will  settlers,  a 
survey  of  the  lands  along  their  lines.  Heretofore,  and  for 
various  reasons,  but  principally  because  the  Territory  and  its 
people  have  been  persistently  misrepresented  and  misunder- 
stood, but  small  appropriations  have  been  made  for  public  sur- 
veys. A  good  deal  of  the  ignorance  in  regard  to  this  region  has 


120  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

been  propagated  by  interested  parties  intentionally,  and  a  good 
deal  of  it  by  those  who  were  uninformed  and  did  not  seek  to 
learn,  and  what  has  given  the  bad  impression  of  the  Territory  a 
great  deal  of  its  weight  is  the  fact  that  among  the  latter  class 
were  certain  government  officials  whose  business  it  was  to  learn 
the  truth,  and  state  facts.  During  my  residence  in  the  Terri- 
tory, my  travels  have  amounted  to  more  than  one  thousand  miles 
in  different  parts  thereof.  I  have  done  this  traveling  mainly 
that  1  might  learn  by  actual  observation  the  nature  and  capa- 
bilities of  the  country,  and  the  characteristics  of  the  people.  I 
know  that  the  Territory  is  well  deserving  of  more  liberal  treat- 
ment than  it  has  received  from  congress,  and  that,  as  a  matter 
of  business  management  purely,  the  public  surveys  ought  to  be 
rapidly  prosecuted  hereafter.'* 


PRIVATE    LAND    CLAIMS. 

The  subject  of  Spanish  and  Mexican  land  grants  in  New 
Mexico  is  one  of  great  importance  to  the  welfare  and  progress 
of  the  Territory,  and  especially  so  with  respect  to  its  settling  up 
by  immigration.  These  grants  have  been  issuing  from  the  au- 
thorities here,  to  the  subjects  and  citizens  of  the  country  since 
its  first  settlement  by  the  Spaniards,  and  during  the  whole  period 
of  its  occupation  by  them  and  the  Mexicans.  Soon  after  the 
Spanish  arms  in  the  sixteenth  century  penetrated  and  occupied 
New  Mexico  as  one  of  the  ultramarine  possessions  of  the  crown 
of  Spain,  the  governors  and  captains  general  of  the  province — 
then  pertaining  to  the  viceroyalty  of  Mexico — were  authorized 
and  empowered  to  make  concessions  of  land  to  the  settlers. 
Afterwards  they  were  made  to  individuals  for  distinguished 
loyalty  to  the  crown  and  important  services  to  the  state  in  the 
Indian  wars  then  harrassing  the  people  and  impeding  the  devel- 
opment and  progress  of  the  country,  and  still  subsequently  these 


PRIVATE   LAND   CLAIMS.  121 


concessions  were  made  in  numerous  instances  to  the  descendants 
of  those  persons  who  had  thus  manifested  their  loyalty  and 
contributed  their  services.  During  the  Spanish  regime  in  New 
Mexico,  as  elsewhere  in  the  Mexican  viceroyalty,  it  was  always 
the  declared  policy  of  the  sovereign  that  the  public  domain  should 
be  populated  and  utilized  through  the  mediun  of  grants  of  land 
to  his  subjects,  as  individuals  or  as  communities.  Afterwards, 
when  the  Mexican  republic  succeeded  to  the  sovereignty  of  the 
soil,  it  was  the  declared  policy  of  that  government  to  encourage 
agriculture  by  making  to  its  citizens  and  to  communities  liberal 
donations  of  the  national  domain  for  cultivation  and  stock  rais- 
ing and  also  for  mining  purposes. 

It  is  said  by  those  who  ought  to  know,  that  there  are  very 
few,  if  any,  spurious  grants  in  the  Territory — certainly  very 
few  compared  with  the  number  brought  to  light  in  California. 
Some  of  these  grants  of  land  are  now  held  by  our  citizens,  other 
grants  by  large  and  flourishing  communities,  and  others  have 
been  purchased  by  capitalists  and  wealthy  companies  with  a 
view  to  their  settlement  and  application  to  agricultural,  stock 
growing  and  mining  uses. 

Now  that  predatory  incursions  of  the  wild  Indians  have,  un- 
der the  policy  of  the  present  national  administration,  become 
less  frequent  and  serious,  and  now  that  the  advent  of  railroads 
is  foreseen  in  the  near  future,  settlers  are  beginning  to  search 
out  and  locate  homesteads  on  the  public  domain  beyond  the  fron- 
tier, under  the  government  of  the  United  States,  and  on  private 
grants  by  purchase. 

The  only  provision  hitherto  made  by  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States,  which  alone,  under  the  constitution,  has-  the  pri- 
mary dominion  and  control  of  the  soil,  for  the  ascertainment  and 
settlement  of  private  land  claims  in  New  Mexico,  emanating 
from  the  former  governments  of  the  country,  is  the  statute  of 
July  22,  1854,  establishing  the  office  of  Surveyor  General,  and 
authorizing  and  requiring  that  officer  to  hear  and  adjudicate  all 
such  claims  presented  to  him  for  the  purpose,  and  report  them, 
with  his  opinion  thereon,  pro  or  cow,  for  the  final  determination 
— the  confirmation  or  rejection — of  Congress.  The  following 
extract  from  the  law  referred  to,  prescribes  the  powers  and  du- 
ties of  the  Surveyor-General  in  the  premises  : — 

"SEC.  8.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  that  it  shall  be  the  duty 
of  the  Surveyor-General,  under  such  instructions  as  may  be 


122  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


given  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  to  ascertain  the  origin, 
nature,  character  and  extent  of  all  claims  to  lands  under  the 
laws,  usages  and  customs  of  Spain  and  Mexico,  and  for  this  pur- 
pose may  issue  notices,  summon  witnesses,  administer  oaths, 
and  do  and  perform  all  other  necessary  acts  in  the  premises.  He 
shall  make  a  full  report  upon  all  such  claims  as  originated  before 
the  cession  of  the  Territory  to  the  United  States  by  the  treaty 
of  Guadaloupe  Hidalgo  of  1848,  denoting  the  various  grades  of 
title,  with  his  decision  as  to  the  validity  or  invalidity  of  each  of 
the  same  under  the  laws,  usages  and  customs  of  the  country 
before  its  cession  to  the  United  States,  and  shall  also  make  a 
report  in  regard  to  all  the  pueblos  existing  in  the  Territory, 
showing  the  extent  and  locality  of  each,  stating  the  number  of 
inhabitants  in  the  said  pueblos  respectively,  and  the  nature  of 
their  titles  to  the  lands,  such  report  to  be  made  according  to  the 
form  which  may  be  prescribed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior, 
which  report  shall  be  laid  before  Congress  for  such  action  thereon 
as  may  be  deemed  just  and  proper,  with  a  view  to  confirm  bona 
fide  grants  and  give  full  effect  to  the  treaty  of  1848  between  the 
United  States  and  Mexico;  and  until  the  final  action  of  Congress 
on  such  claims,  all  lands  shall  be  reserved  from  sale  or  other  dis- 
posal by  the  government,  and  shall  not  be  subject  to  the  dona- 
tions granted  by  the  previous  provisions  of  this  Act.'7 

The  treaty  of  Guadaloupe  Hidalgo,  referred  to  in,  and  which 
gave  occasion  for  the  enactment  of  the  foregoing  section,  stipu- 
lates and  provides  in  its  eighth  article  that:  "Mexicans  now 
established  in  territories  previously  belonging  to  Mexico,  and 
which  remain  for  the  future  within  the  limits  of  the  United 
States,  as  defined  by  the  present  treaty,  shall  be  free  to  continue 
where  they  now  reside,  or  to  remove  at  any  time  to  the  Mexican 
Republic,  retaining  the  property  which  they  possess  in  the  said 
territories,  or  disposing  thereof  and  removing  the  proceeds 
wherever  they  please,  without  their  being  subjected  on  this 
account  to  any  contribution,  tax  or  charge  whatever. 
In  the  said  territories  property  of  every  kind  now  belonging  to 
Mexicans  not  established  there,  shall  be  inviolably  respected. 
The  present  owners,  the  heirs  of  these,  and  all  Mexicans  who 
may  hereafter  acquire  said  property  by  contract,  shall  enjoy  with 
respect  to  it  guaranties  equally  ample  as  if  the  same  belonged 
to  citizens  of  the  United  States." 


PRIVATE   LAND    CLAIMS.  123 


And  the  treaty  with  Mexico  of  December  30, 1853,  commonly 
kno\vn  as  the  Mesilla  valley  treaty,  or  Gadsden  purchase,  in  its 
fifth  article  stipulates  and  provides  that:  "  All  the  provisions  of 
the  eighth  *  *  articles  of  the  treaty  of  Guadaloupe 
Hidalgo  shall  apply  to  the  territory  ceded  by  the  Mexican 
Republic  in  the  first  article  of  the  present  treaty,  and  to  all  the 
rights  of  persons  and  property,  both  civil  and  ecclesiastical, 
within  the  same,  as  fully  and  effectually  as  if  the  said  articles 
were  herein  again  recited  and  set  forth." 

The  law  of  Congress  of  August  4,  1854,  extended  the  federal 
and  territorial  civil  jurisdiction  over  the  additional  territory 
acquired  by  the  treaty  of  1853,  whereby  the  statute  whose 
eighth  section  we  have  quoted,  became  operative  also  over  the 
Gadsden  purchase. 

The  law  quoted,  it  is  observed,  prescribes  no  term  within 
which  the  claims  for  lands  under  concessions  emanating  from  the 
former  governments  shall  be  filed  for  adjudication:  it  is  entirely 
optional  with  the  claimants  to  present  or  decline  to  present  their 
claims — and  it  is  no  doubt  due  mainly  to  this  omission  that  com- 
paratively so  few  have  been  filed  and  determined.  The  sur- 
veyors general  have  several  times  recommended  that  a  date  be 
fixed  by  Congress,  on  or  before  which  time  all  these  claims  shall 
be  filed,  else  be  forever  barred  from  recognition  and  confirma- 
tion; and  the  present  surveyor  general  proposes  July  4,  1876, 
for  such  prescribed  date.  The  propriety  and  expediency,  and 
indeed  the  necessity  of  fixing  some  limit  to  the  time  wherein 
these  grant  claimants  shall  make  their  titles  known  to  the  gov- 
ernment, and  to  the  people  interested  in  knowing  which  is  pub- 
lic domain  and  which  is  not,  are  too  manifest  to  admit  of 
question,  and  too  urgent  to  admit  of  delay.  Congress  of  course 
might  in  its  discretion  extend  the  term.  When  once  estab- 
lished, however,  we  think  the  effect  would  be  to  cause  nearly  or 
quite  all  the  claims  to  be  brought  forward  and  filed,  leaving 
little  reason  for  an  extension  of  the  filing  term. 

Under  the  law,  as  it  stands,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
claims — exclusive  of  Pueblo  grants — have  been  filed  with  the 
surveyor  general.  Of  these  some  ninety  have  received  his 
favorable,  and  several  his  unfavorable  action,  and  been  reported 
to  congress;  and  of  those  reported,  congress  has  by  law  confirmed 
about  one  half,  has  rejected  one,  has  restricted  two  to  smaller  area, 


124  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

and  has  most  of  the  remainder  now — May,  1874 — pending  before 
it  in  a  bill  for  their  confirmation.  Of  the  confirmed  claims  about 
twenty  have  been  surveyed  and  two  patented,*  the  surveys  all 
being  executed  by  the  government,  and,  in  most  instances,  at 
its  expense.  Since  1862  congress  has  required  that  the  surveys, 
when  made,  be  executed  by  authority  of  the  government,  but 
at  the  cost  and  expense  of  the  grant  owner — which  latter 
requirement  we  think  is  a  palpable  violation  of  the  spirit  and 
intent,  and  indeed  of  the  letter  of  the  "contribution,  tax  or 
charge"  clause  of  article  VIII  of  the  treaty  of  Guadaloupe 
Hidalgo,  before  quoted,  and  it  has  certainly  had  the  effect  of 
preventing  the  survey  and  segregation  from  the  public  domain 
of  numerous  confirmed  grants  in  this  Territory,  and  in  the 
ascertaining  and  fixing  of  whose  locus  and  area  the  government, 
which  is  necessarily  ignorant  of  both,  is  at  least  as  much  inter- 
ested as  the  land  owner  himself,  who,  of  course,  knows  where 
his  tract  is,  and  which  are  its  boundaries,  and  what  its  extent. 

The  Indian  " pueblo  grant"  claims  constitute  a  series  of 
claims  distinct  from  that  of  the  "private  claims."  They  are 
community  grants,  designated  at  the  surveyor  general's  office  as 
A,  B,  C,  etc.,  down  to  T,  inclusive,  and  have  all  been  reported 
and  confirmed,  and  many  of  them  been  surveyed  and,  in  1864, 
patented  by  the  government. 

In  neither  class  of  claims  has  any  fraudulent  one  been 
detected  and  exposed;  and,  indeed,  very  few  spurious  claims, 
if  any  at  all,  are  believed  to  exist  in  the  Territory — the  low 
value  of  lands  here  up  to  this  time  being  an  insufficient  incentive 
to  the  fabrication  of  spurious  muniments;  though,  as  our  lands, 
with  the  advent  of  railroads,  capital  and  immigration,  increase 
in  value,  the  incentive  to  their  fabrication  will  correspondingly 
augment,  and  it  may  be  that  New  Mexico  will  then  rival  Cali- 
fornia in  the  production  of  fraudulent  land  grants.  For,  as  Sur- 
veyor General  Proudfit  remarks,  "it  is  becoming  known  that 
the  country  enjoys  a  magnificent  climate,  that  all  its  valleys  are 
well  adapted  to  a  variety  of  crops,  and  that  its  mesas  or  table- 
lands are  the  finest  stock- grazing  regions  in  the  world.  Stock 

*  Recently  the  General  Land  Office  declined  to  patent  surveyed  confirmed 
private  land  claims  in  New  Mexico,  on  the  ground  that  the  grant  itself  was  the 
equivalent  of  a  United  States  patent.  But  on  appeal  to  the  secretary  of  the 
Interior,  and  reference  of  the  question  by  him  to  the  attorney  general,  the 
ruling  was  reversed,  and  patents  will  issue  to  the  owners  of  all  such  claims. 


PRIVATE   LAND   CLAIMS.  125 

feeds  the  year  round  upon  the  grama  and  other  nutritious  grasses; 
and  the  winters  are  so  mild  and  equable,  and  comparatively 
stormless,  that  stock  needs  little  or  no  care,  except  herding,  to 
prevent  straying  or  other  loss.  In  view  of  these  and  other  con- 
siderations, there  is  a  large  and  increasing  call  for  public  surveys, 
very  many  preferring  to  obtain  their  land  direct  from  the 
government,  instead  of  attempting  to  purchase  in  small  quanti- 
ties from  grant  owners.  The  impression  which  has  prevailed 
in  official  circles  at  Washington  that  all,  or  nearly  all,  the  Terri- 
tory that  is  of  any  value  was  claimed  under  or  covered  by  grants, 
is  erroneous  and  without  foundation  in  fact." 

In  the  adjudication  of  land  titles  in  New  Mexico  held  under 
concession  from  either  of  the  former  governments,  the  stipu- 
lations and  the  principles  of  the  treaty  of  Guadaloupe  Hidalgo,  the 
model  international  compact  of  the  age,  with  respect  to  landed 
property  having  a  status  at  its  date,  enter  and  largely  govern  in 
their  determination,  (^ur  government  in  deciding  upon  the 
validity  of  these  grants  always  appears  to  have  been  actuated  by 
the  most  liberal  principles,  as  evidenced  both  in  the  legislation  of 
congress  and  in  the  decisions  of  the  supreme  court  concerning 
them.  If  the  grants  were  incipient  and  inchoate  at  the  date  of 
the  change  of  national  sovereignty  under  the  treaty  of  Guadaloupe 
Hidalgo,  or  if  acquired  in  good  faith,  though  imperfect  in  form, 
or  defective  in  requisites  not  absolutely  essential,  they  are  recog- 
nized and  confirmed.  The  claimant  therefore  under  one  of 
these  old  grants,  though  he  hold  in  good  faith  but  the  color  of  title, 
may  rely  with  confidence  upon  the  government  for  an  equitable 
and  generous  consideration  of  his  claim. 

As  showing  the  large  authority  and  powers  exercised  in  New 
Mexico  by  the  governors  and  captains  general  under  the  vice- 
royalty,  and  by  the  governors  and  political  chiefs  under  the 
subsequent  different  governments  of  Mexico  in  the  disposal  of 
the  royal  and  national  domain,  then  almost  absolutely  useless 
and  without  value,  in  this  distant  section  of  Mexico  (the  bound- 
aries and  limits  of  the  tracts  granted  bein^  often  described 
simply  as  from  mountain  to  mountain,  and  from  river  to  river), 
we  here  insert  extracts  from  two  decisions  of  the  United  States 
surveyor  general  for  New  Mexico,  made  upon  private  land 
claims  Nos.  4  and  17,  adjudicated  by  him  in  1856  and  1857,  and 
both  of  which — each  for  at  least  a  million  acre  tract — were 


126  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


approved  by  him.  We  believe  it  is  a  settled  principle  that  the 
official  acts  of  an  officer  are  the  acts  of  his  government,  under 
whose  laws  he  officiates,  and  hold  good  until  duly  annulled. 
And  if  the  principle  in  international  law  that  a  person  exercising 
public  authority  represents  pro  tanto  his  government,  which  is 
but  the  embodiment  in  an  international  sense  of  all  the  employes 
and  persons  exercising  that  authority,  be  the  correct  and  binding 
principle,  then  the  facts  stated  by  the  surveyor  general  in  the 
extracts  mentioned  become  an  important  consideration  in  con- 
nection with  the  adjudication  of  our  large  land  grants,  since 
these  are  to  be  dealt  with  not  under  the  provisions  of  our 
national  constitution  and  laws,  but  under  the  stipulations  and 
guaranties  of  that  "higher  law,"  the  treaty. 

"At  the  period  (1843)  when  this  grant  was  made,  the 
province  of  New  Mexico  had  just  emerged  from  a  series  of 
revolutions  and  civil  commotions  which  had  caused  the  general 
government  of  the  republic  to  confer  upon  the  governor  of  the 
province  extraordinary  and  almost  absolute  power  in  all  things 
relating  to  the  domestic  affairs  and  internal  government  of  the 
province.  Under  this  authority  and  the  extraordinary  powers 
so  vested  in  him  this  grant  is  purported  to  have  been  made." 

".The  supreme  authorities  of  the  remote  provinces  of  New 
Spain — afterwards  the  republic  of  Mexico — exercised  from  time 
immemorial  certain  prerogatives  and  powers  which,  although 
not  positively  sanctioned  by  congressional  enactments,  were 
universally  conceded  by  the  Spanish  and  Mexican  governments; 
and  there  being  no  evidence  that  these  prerogatives  and  powers 
were  revoked  or  repealed,  by  the  supreme  authorities,  it  is  to 
be  presumed  that  the  exercise  of  them  was  lawful.  The  sub- 
ordinate authorities  of  the  provinces  implicity  obeyed  these 
orders  of  the  governors,  which  were  continued  for  so  long  a 
period,  until  they  became  the  universal  custom  or  unwritten 
law  of  the  land  wherein  they  did  not  conflict  with  any  subse- 
quent congressional  enactment.  Such  is  the  principle  sanctioned 
by  the  Supreme  court  of  the  United  States,  as  expressed  in  the 
case  of  Fremont  versus  the  United  States  (17  Howard,  page 
542),  which  decision  now  governs  all  cases  of  a  similar  nature." 

In  concluding  our  chapter  upon  private  land  claims  in  New 
Mexico,  we  present  the  following  article,  written  at  our  request 


PRIVATE   LAND   CLAIMS.  127 

by  Judge  Joab  Hough  ton,  of  Santa  Fe,  who  has  resided  in  the 
Territory  for  more  than  thirty  years,  and  who  duiing  that  time 
has  held  here  the  offices  of  United  States  vice-consul  and  com- 
mercial agent  in  1844  (before  the  conquest),  chief  justice  of  the 
provincial  territorial  government  in  1846,  register  of  the  United 
States  land  office  in  1861,  and  associate  justice  of  the  supreme 
court  of  New  Mexico  in  1865,  and  who  is  now  one  of  the  lead- 
ing practicing  lawyers  of  the  Territory: — 

The  people  of  New  Mexico  have  just  ground  for  complaint, 
not  only  on  account  of  the  course  of  procedure  adopted  by  the 
administrative  officers  of  the  Land  Department  of  the  govern- 
ment respecting  their  grants  of  land  derived  from  their  former 
government,  the  Republic  of  Mexico,  but  also  the  evidently 
erroneous,  if 'not  unconstitutional  legislation  of  Congress  in  as- 
suming to  cut  down  and  curtail  the  area  and  extent  of  these 
grants  in  several  instances  to  less  amount  and  extent  than  that 
ceded  by  the  government  of  Mexico,  and  in  which  they 
have  been  placed  in  judicial  possession  by  the  legal  officers  of 
that  government  years  before  the  acquisition  of  the  Territory 
by  the  United  States,  under  the  treaty  of  1848,  between  the  two 
governments.  Such  legislation  has  not  only  operated  oppressively 
and  injuriously  on  the  interests  of  the  numerous  holders  and 
occupants  of  these  grants,  but  upon  the  prosperity  of  the  whole 
people  of  New  Mexico,  by  creating  doubt  and  confusion  as  to  all 
titles  to  lands  in  the  acquired  Territory  of  New  Mexico,  granted 
to  them  or  their  predecessors  as  citizens  of  the  Republic  of 
Mexico;  and  by  them  held  and  possessed  as  bonafide  grants,  and 
as  such  considered  and  respected  by  the  Government  of  Mexico 
up  to  the  date  of  the  transfer  of  her  sovereignty  over  the  Terri- 
tory, to  the  United  States.  That  the  Government  of  Mexico  so 
held  and  respected  these  grants  of  land  to  her  citizens,  and  that 
she  considered  them  segregated  from  her  public  domain,  and  as 
private  property,  lawfully  in  the  possession  of  the  grantees,  and 
their  legal  representatives,  is  conclusively  shown  by  the  safe- 
guard thrown  around  these  private  vested  rights  of  her  citizens 
inhabiting  the  ceded  Territory  at  the  date  of  the  Treaty  of  Ces- 
sion, in  Article  VIII  of  that  Treaty— the  Treaty  of  Guadaloupe 
Hidalgo,  of  February  2,  1848— one  the  following  stipulations: 

«  Mexicans  now  established  in  the  Territories  previously  be- 
longing to  Mexico,  and  which  remain  for  the  future  within  the 


128  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

limits  of  the  United  States,  as  defined  by  the  present  Treaty, 
shall  be  free  to  continue  where  they  now  reside,  or  to  return  at 
any  time  to  the  Mexican  Republic,  retaining  the  property  they 
possess  in  said  Territories,  or  by  disposing  thereof,  .and  re- 
moving the  proceeds  whenever  they  please,  without  their  being 
subjected  on  this  account  to  any  contribution,  tax  or  charge, 
whatever." 

"In  said  territories  property  of  every  Mnd,  now  belonging  to 
Mexicans  not  established  there,  should  be  inviolably  respected. 
The  present  owners,  the  heirs  of  them,  and  all  Mexicans  who 
may  hereafter  acquire  said  property  by  contract,  should  enjoy 
with  respect  to  it  guarantees  equally  as  ample  as  if  the  same 
belonged  to  citizens  of  the  United  States."  And  in  Article  9: 
"  Mexicans  *  *  not  preserving  the  character  of  citizens 
of  the  Mexican  Republic,  conformably  with  what  is  stipulated 
in  the  preceding  article,  shall  be  incorporated  into  the  United 
States,  and  be  admitted  *  to  the  enjoyment  of  all  the 

rights  of  citizens  of  the  United  States,  *  *  and  in  the 
mean  time  shall  be  maintained,  and  in  the  free  enjoyment  of 
their  liberty  and  property." 

It  is  evident  that  these  solemn  treaty  stipulations,  agreed  to, 
signed  and  ratified  by  both  the  high  contracting  parties,  mean 
exactly  what  they  state — nothing  more,  nor  nothing  less,  which 
is,  that  "  property  of  every  kind  now  (at  the  date  of  the  Treaty) 
belonging  to  Mexicans"  must  be  inviolably  respected,  with  equal 
guarantees,  as  if  the  same  belonged  to  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  whether  retaining  the  character  of  Mexican  citizens,  or 
becoming  citizens  of  the  United  States,  and  to  be  equally  pro- 
tected in  the  enjoyment  of  the  same. 

i 

Is  it  not  clear  and  beyond  doubt  that  Mexico,  in  making  this 
treaty,  meant  that  the  whole  property  her  citizens  in  these  ceded 
territories  had  and  then  possessed  under  her  ^government  and 
authority,  should  be  thus  protected  and  guaranteed,  and  that  the 
United  States  also  thus  understood  it,  and  by  agreeing  to,  and 
ratifying  the  treaty,  pledged  the  nation's  faith  to  the  fulfillment 
of  the  same? 

By  what  right,  therefore,  can  Congress,  in  disregard  of  the 
solemn  stipulations  of  this  treaty  of  Guadaloupe  Hidalgo — the 
highest  law  of  the  land,  under  the  constitution,  in  all  things  to 


PRIVATE    LAND    CLAIMS.  129 


which  it  pertains — by  its  legislation  alter,  amend  or  add  to,  the 
meaning,  intent  or  obligation  of  that  treaty,  or  in  any  way 
diminish,  curtail  or  destroy  the  property,  whether  land  or  other 
property,  which  the  government  of  the  United  States  is  under 
obligations  to  guarantee  and  protect  to  the  possessors?  Would 
it  not  be  a  stain  upon  the  nation's  faith,  and  an  outrageous  inva- 
sion of  the  private  vested  rights  of  these  acquired  Mexican  citizens 
and  their  heirs  and  assigns,  to  legislate  &  proviso  into  the  treaty 
of  Guadaloupe  Hidalgo.  "  That  they  shall  be  protected  in  the 
property  they  possessed  at  the  date  of  the  treaty:  provided  no 
one  individual  claimed  more  than  eleven  square  leagues  of  land, 
eleven  thousand  sheep,  eleven  hundred  mules  and  asses,  and 
other  property  in  proportion?  Yet  upon  this  principle  Congress 
has  legislated  on  the  land  grants  in  New  Mexico,  ignoring  its 
own  legislation  in  the  Act  of  July  22,  3854,  establishing  the 
principal  upon  which  the  private  land  claims  of  New  Mexico 
should  be  investigated  and  decided  as  to  the  validity  of  their 
title  "under  the  laws,  usages  and  customs  of  the  country,  before 
the  cession  to  the  United  States,"  and  reported  to  Congress  for 
confirmation,  when  found  to  be  bona  fide  grants  made  by  Spain 
or  Mexico,  and  lawfully  in  possession  of  the  grantees,  or  their 
legal  representatives  at  the  date  of  the  treaty. 

Congress  has  assumed  the  position  and  functions  of  a  court, 
for  the  correction  of  the  errors  of  the  Mexican  government,  in 
the  execution  and  practice  of  her  own  laws,  in  the  granting  and 
distribution  of  her  own  lands,  and  in  the  segregation  of  the 
same  from  her  own  public  domain,  and  has  in  one  or  two 
instances  legislated  to  the  effect,  that  neither  the  government  of 
Mexico,  nor  the  governors  and  legislative  assemblies  of  Ne-w 
Mexico,  late  a  department  of  the  Republic  of  Mexico,  and  acting 
under  its  authority  and  laws,  had  a  right,  under  the  colonization 
laws  of  Mexico  of  1824,  and  regulations  of  1828,  to  grant  to  one 
individual  colonist  more  than  eleven  square  leagues  of  land,  and 
that  these  colonization  laws  apply  to  all  land  grants  in  New  Mex- 
ico made  by  the  government  of  Mexico  since  the  year  1824,  and 
that  therefore  all  grants  of  land  made  during  that  period,  in 
excess  of  eleven  square  leagues  to  any  grantee  in  New  Mex- 
ico, was^unlawful  as  to  the  excess,  but  good  as  to  the  eleven 
leagues,  and  notwithstanding  the  faith  of  the  government  so 
decidedly  pledged  in  the  treaty  to  protect  and  guarantee  "prop- 
erty of  every  kind"  in  the  possession  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 

9 


130  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

acquired  territories  at  the  date  of  the  treaty — declares  in  its 
capacity  of  a  court  for  the  correction  of  the  errors  of  adminis- 
tration of  law  by  the  preceding  government,  that  they  will  cor- 
rect this  error j  and  by  legislation  cut  down  and  curtail  such  grant 
to  eleven  leagues  to  each  grantee. 

But  let  us  examine  the  colonization  law  of  1824 — especially 
as  to  its  applicability  to  land  grants  made  by  the  Republic  of 
Mexico  in  her  province  of  New  Mexico.  In  the  examination  of 
law  it  is  the  fair  and  proper  principle  to  look  at  the  whole 
and  construe  it  according  to  its  general  interest  and  purpose. 

Section  first  of  the  decree  (of  the  Mexican  Congress)  of 
August  10,  1824,  respecting  colonization,  is  as  follows:  "  The 
Mexican  nation  promises  to  those  foreigners  who  may  come  to 
establish  themselves  in  its  territory,  security  in  the  persons  and 
property,  provided  they  subject  themselves  to  the  laws  of  the 
country." 

The  2nd  section  says,  "  The  objects  of  this  law  are  those 
national  lands  which  are  neither  private  property,  nor  belong  to 
any  corporation  or  pueblo,  and  can  therefore  be  colonized." 

Section  4  says,  "  Those  territories  comprised  within  twenty 
leagues  of  the  boundaries  of  any  foreign  nations,  or  within  ten 
leagues  of  the  sea  coast,  cannot  be  colonized  without  the  previ- 
ous approval  of  the  supreme  general  executive  power." 

The  12th  section  of  the  decree  restricts  the  ownership  of  one 
person  (colonist)  to  eleven  square  leagues  in  all. 

Now  is  it  not  sufficiently  and  clearly  declared  in  this  decree, 
that  its  sole  and  only  object  and  purpose  is  to  colonize  »<  those  for. 
eigners  who  may  come  to  establish  themselves,  etc.',  etc.,"  and 
the  general  intent  to  restrict  the  granting  of  lands  to  FOREIGNERS? 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  restrictions  as  to  locality  and  quantity 
are  such  as  exclude  foreigners  from  settling  on  the  sea  coast  and 
frontiers  of  the  Republic,  and  from  acquiring  such  positions  and 
strongholds  as  to  endanger  the  country  in  the  event  of  foreign 
war.  This  was  evidenrfy  the  whole  intent  and  scope  of  this 
decree  of  the  Mexican  Congress.  It  is  evident  that  it  was  not 
applicable,  or  intended  to  apply  to  grants  made  to  MEXICAN  citi- 
zens. The  spirit,  intent  or  practice  under  this  decree  does  not 
sustain  the  idea  that  the  Republic  of  Mexico  in  regulating  dona- 
tions of  her  public  domain  to  foreign  colonists,  intended  to  restrict 


PRIVATE   LAND   CLAIMS.  131 

her  right  of  sovereignty  in  the  granting  of  her  own  public 
domain  to  her  own  citizens,  noris  such  a  restriction  at  all  sustained 
by  the  practice. 

The  daily  practice  of  the  Mexican  government  in  all  the 
states  and  provinces  of  the  Republic  since  the  acquisition  of  its 
independence  of  Spain,  has  been  to  grant  to  her  own  people  the 
lands  petitioned  for  by  them,  within  certain  bounds  and  natural 
land  marks,  regardless  of  quantity  or  extent  of  area,  or  measure- 
ment of  leagues,  or  restrictions  mentioned  in  the  decree  of  1824. 

The  records  of  every  state  and  territory  of  the  Republic  of 
Mexico,  the  records  of  New  Mexico,  show  the  same  practice  in 
the  granting  of  lands  by  her  authorities  duly  empowered  to  do 
so,  by  the  general  government  of  Mexico,  and  further,  no  grant 
thus  made  in  New  Mexico,  from  1821  to  1848,  has  been  vacated  or 
annulled  by  either  the  general  government  of  Mexico,  or  the  local 
government  of  New  Mexico  acting  under  the  authority  of  that 
general  government.  It  is  moreover  a  fact  shown  by  the  record, 
that  no  grant  of  land  has  ever  been  made  in  New  Mexico — with 
any — the  slightest  regard  to  the  decree  of  1824,  as  to  quantity  of 
land  or  form  of  grant;  and  that  with  the  exception  of  some  ten. 
or  twelve  grants,  of  all  those  which  have  been  investigated, 
approved  and  confirmed,  under  the  Act  of  the  United  States 
Congress  of  July  22,  1854,  no  mention  is  made  of  leagues  or 
measured  distances,  or  square  leagues,  except  in  one  instance. 
The  large  majority  of  land  grants  in  New  Mexico  made  by  the 
governments  of  Spain  and  Mexico,  are  described  by  natural 
objects  as  land  marks,  or  artificial  monuments,  erected  for  the 
purpose  by  the  oificer  placing  the  grantees  in  possession. 

The  facts  therefore  stand  clearly  proven,  that  in  practice, 
neither  the  government  of  Mexico,  nor  the  local  officers  of  her 
province  of  New  Mexico,  ever  considered  the  restrictions  con- 
tained in  the  Mexican  Congressional  decree  of  1824,  respecting 
colonization,  as  in  any  way  applying  to,  or  restricting  them  in  the 
granting  of  lands  to  citizens  of  the  Republic,  and  that  the 
Republic  of  Mexico  made  no  mistake  in  holding  and  protecting 
these  grants  as  valid,  vested,  private  rights,  around  which  she 
attempted  to  extend  her  protection,  in  making  the  solemn  treaty 
stipulations  contained  in  the  articles  of  the'  treaty  of  Guadaloupe 
Hidalgo  above  cited. 

Congress  therefore,  in  constituting  itself  a  high  court  for  the 


132  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

correction  of  errors  of  the  government  of  the  Republic  of  Mex- 
ico in  granting  her  own  lands  to  her  own  citizens,  prior  to  the 
treaty  of  Guadaloupe  Hidalgo,  stands  thus: 

1st.  It  finds  no  errors  to  correct  that  could  possibly  be 
acknowledged  as  such  by  the  principal  party  in  interest,  the 
government  of  Mexico  having  acknowledged  and  sanctioned,  by 
long  and  continued  practice,  the  granting  of  her  own  lands  to 
her  own  citizens,  greatly  in  excess  of  eleven  square  leagues. 

2d.  If  such  error  existed  in  the  execution  of  her  own  laws 
by  the  government  of  Mexico,  Congress  has  no  right  under  the 
constitution,  the  treaty,  or  the  laws  of  nations,  to  correct  it,  as 
it  cannot  be  a  court  of  review  over  the  administration  by  a  for- 
eign power  of  its  own  laws. 

3d.  Congress  by  such  legislation  violates  the  nation's  faith, 
pledged  to  the  Republic  of  Mexico  to  protect  and  guarantee  to 
the  Mexican  inhabitants  of  the  acquired  territories  the  property 
in  land,  and  all  other  property  which  had  been  in  their  posses- 
sion under  their  own  government,  and  remained  theirs  in  legal 
possession,  acknowledged  by  their  government  at  the  date  of 
the  treaty  of  Guadaloupe  Hidalgo — not  a  part  of  that  property, 
or  such  part  as  Congress  may  decide  that  the  Republic  of  Mexico 
had  a  right  to  give — but  the  whole  property  in  the  hands  and 
possession  of  Mexican  citizens,  with  the  sanction  of  the  Mexican 
government  at  the  date  of  the  treaty. 

4th.  The  result  of  such  legislation,  if  carried  into  effect, 
would  be  an  inexcusable  and  unwarranted  invasion  of  private 
rights,  destruction  of  private  interests — disregard  of  treaties, 
national  and  international  law,  heretofore  unparalleled  in  our 
national  legislation,  or  in  the  treatment  of  all  civilized  and 
enlightened  nations,  of  the  inhabitants  of  territories  acquired 
either  by  conquest,  treaty  or  purchase. 

5th.  Congress  by  such  legislation  assumes  to  reverse  or  ignore 
the  decisions  of  the  supreme  court  of  the  United  States  in  a 
large  number  of  cases,  arising  in  acquired  territories  since  the 
acquisition  of  Louisiana  and  Florida,  and  especially  those  arising 
the  recently  acquired  territory  of  California,  in  regard  Jto  the 
extent  of  grants  of  land.  I  will  here  refer  to  a  few  of  them 
only. 


PRIVATE    LAND   CLAIMS.  133 

In  the  case  of  Higueras  vs.  The  United  States,  5th  Wallace, 
827,  the  Supreme  Court  says:  "That  when  the  grant  is  made  by 
specific  boundaries,  the  grantee  is  entitled  to  the  entire  tract 
described." 

United  States  vs.  Sutherland,  19  Howard,  pages  363,  365,  the 
court  says:  "  Since  the  country  (California)  has  become  part  of 
of  the  United  States,  these  extensive  rancho  grants,  which  then 
had  little  value,  have  now  become  very  large  and  very  valuable 
estates.  They  have  been  denounced  as  enormous  monopolies, 
princedoms,  etc.,  and  this  court  has  been  urged  to  deny  to  the 
grantees,  what  it  is  assumed  the  former  government  had  too 
liberally  and  lavishly  granted.  This  rhetoric  might  have  a  just 
influence  when  urged  to  those  who  have  a  right  to  give  QIC  refuse. 
But  the  United  States  have  bound  themselves  by  a  treaty  to 
acknowledge  and  protect  all  bona  fide  titles  granted  by  the  previ- 
ous government,  and  this  court  has  no  discretion  to  enlarge  or 
curtail  such  grants,  to  suit  our  own  sense  of  propriety,  or  defeat 
just  claims,  however  extensive,  by  stringent  technical  rules  of 
construction,  to  which  they  were  not  originally  subjected." 

United  States  vs.  Moreno,  3d  Wallace,  pages  478,  491:  Broad 
vs.  Tedey,  the  Supreme  Court  held  that  "the  cession  of  Cali- 
fornia to  the  United  States  did  not  impair  the  rights  of  private 
property — these  rights  are  held  sacred  by  the  laws  of  nations, 
and  protected  by  the  treaty  of  Guadaloupe  Hidalgo." 

In  the  case  of  The  United  States  vs.  Peralta,  et  al.,  19  Howard, 
p.  347,  the  court  says:  "We  have  frequently  decided  that  the 
public  acts  of  public  officers,  purporting  to  be  exercised  in  an 
official  capacity,  and  by  public  authority,  shall  not  be  presumed 
to  be  usurped ;  but  that  a  legitimate  authority  has  been  previ- 
ously given  or  subsequently  ratified." 

To  these  references  to  the  opinion  and  decisions  of  the  United 
States  Supreme  Court  I  will  add  the  remark,  that  in  no  case 
taken  by  appeal  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  from 
any  of  the  acquired  territories,  has  the  title  to  lands  under  a 
grant  from  Spain  or  Mexico,  in  other  respects  unobjectionable, 
been  held  void  by  that  court,  upon  the  sole  ground  that  the 
quantity  of  land  granted  was  in  excess  of  eleven  square  leagues, 
or  on  the  ground  of  any  quantity  of  land  it  might  contain  within 
the  boundaries  described  in  the  papers  of  the  grant. 


134  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

IRRIGATION. 

In  the  United  States,  east  of  about  the  103d  meridian  of 
longitude,  west  from  Greenwich,  irrigation  is  rarely  resorted  to, 
all  the  cereals  growing  to  maturity  without  its  aid.  But  west  of 
that  meridian  to  the  Sierra  Nevada  it  is  essential  toasureandan 
abundant  crop.  Though  it  is  viewed  in  the  states  to  the  east  of 
us  as  an  unnatural,  a  costly,  and  an  unnecessary  auxiliary  to 
nature,  and  is  unpopular,  the  new  great-west  hereaway  believes, 
and  from  experience  has  found  to  the  contrary.  It  is  an  im- 
portant and  profitable  part  of  our  system  of  agriculture.  To  be 
understood  and  appreciated  it  must  be  seen  in  practice  and 
through  its  effects.  It  cost  less  in  money  and  labor  than  does 
clearing  the  lands  in  the  eastern  states,  or  draining  them  in  the 
western.  It  fertilizes  the  land,  the  water  being  charged  with 
fertilizing  matter,  and  keeps  up  its  producing  capacity  thereby. 
It  saves  all  loss  of  crop  by  drouth  or  irregular  rainfall.  It  enables 
the  farmer  to  regulate  his  work  to  his  will  and  convenience, 
a  given  amount  of  labor  and  attention  to  his  fields  thus  going 
much  further  than  when  the  work  presses  at  irregular  and 
uncertain  times.  And  it  often  doubles  or  quadruples  the  crop 
cultivated  by  its  means. 

The  United  States  surveyor  general  in  a  communication  to 
the  General  Land  Office  of  June  25,  1868,  in  writing  of  the 
barrens  and  desert  lands  in  New  Mexico,  and  the  means  of  irri- 
gating and  reclaiming  them,  says: — 

"  Properly  so  called  there  are  neither  barren  nor  desert  lands 
to  any  great  extent  in  this  district.  The  Territory  is  properly 
divided  between  valleys,  which  can  be  irrigated  by  the  streams 
flowing  through  them,  mesas  or  table-lands — under  which 
designation  I  class  all  the  lands  not  mountain  or  irrigable  val- 
leys— and  mountains.  In  a  communication  to  the  General  Land 
Office  in  1866  I  estimated  the  arable  lands  of  this  district  at 
one  million  acres.  The  term  arable  was  used  as  synonymous 
with  irrigable,  as  no  lands  can  be  cultivated  here  with  any 
certainty  of  raising  a  crop  without  irrigation.  There  is  a  con- 
siderable rainfall  during  the  months  of  July  and  August,  but 
there  is  so  little  rain  during  April,  May  and  June  that  without 
irrigation  crops  will  ordinarily  perish. 

"The  method  of  irrigation  is  as  follows: — Ditches  or  canals 
are  excavated,  and  the  water  conveyed  from  the  stream  with 


IRRIGATION.  135 


just  fall  enough  to  preserve  the  full  quantum  or  volume  deemed 
necessary,  and  diverging  from  the  stream  as  the  surface  of  the 
land  will  permit,  so  as  to  include  all  the  lands  below,  i.  e. 
between  the  greatest  elevation  to  which  the  ditch  can  be  carried 
along  the  tract  to  be  irrigated  and  the  stream.  The  land  is 
prepared  for  planting  by  laying  it  off  in  beds  or  lots  averaging 
in  size,  according  as  the  surface  is  level  or  otherwise,  from  a 
sixteenth  part  of  an  acre  to  two  or  three  acres.  Around  each  of 
these  beds — which  are  required  to  be  level  or  nearly  so — there 
is  raised  a  light  embankment,  six  or  eight  inches  above  the 
level,  clearing  a  shallow  acequia  between,  through  which  the 
water  is  drawn,  and  from  which  the  land  is  flooded  to  the  depth 
of  two  or  three  inches,  as  often  as  required  for  the  growth  of 
the  crop.  The  water  being  let  through  the  embankment  as 
above,  and  the  beds  covered  to  the  proper  depth,  the  embank- 
ment is  again  closed,  and  the  water  left  to  be  absorbed  by  the 
soil.  The  small  irrigating  ditches  above  described  communicate 
with  the  main  ditch,  the  acequia  madre,  but  the  water  is  only 
suffered  to  flow  in  them  when  needed  for  the  irrigation  of  the 
land  which  they  divide  or  to  which  they  lead.  To  mature  a 
crop  of  corn,  wheat,  barley  or  oats,  the  land  should  be  irrigated 
ordinarily  once  in  ten  to  fourteen  days,  vegetables  a  little  oftener; 
but  during  the  months  of  July  and  August  the  rains  supply 
much  of  the  necessary  moisture,  so  that  irrigation  during  those 
months,  or  a  portion  of  them,  is  often  unnecessary.  It  may 
be  proper  to  state  th«  amount  of  irrigable  land  is  only 
limited  by  the  amount  of  water  in  the  stream — even  the  Rio 
Grande  might  all  be  used  in  the  irrigation  of  the  lands  in 
its  valley.  The  water  supplied  by  irrigation  not  only  affords 
the  necessary  moisture  for  the  growth  of  vegetation,  but  also 
enriches  the  soil  by  depositing  the  sedimentary  matter  held  in 
solution,  and  thus  lands  which  have  been  under  annual  cultiva- 
tion for  more  than  two  hundred  years  still  produce  excellent 
crops,  without  ever  having  been  manured  or  restored  by  other 
means.  It  will  be  observed  that  to  prepare  land  for  planting, 
and  to  cultivate  it  properly  by  means  of  irrigation,  requires 
very  much  more  labor  than  where  Providence  sends  the  early 
and  the  latter  rain;  but  it  has  its  advantages  also.  If  the  farmer 
has  a  never-failing  stream  of  water  with  which  to  irrigate  his 
land,  his  crop  need  not  be  cut  short  by  drouth,  nor  injured  by 
excessive  rains. 


136  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

"The  mesas  or  table-lands  include  fully  two- thirds,  and 
perhaps  three  quarters  of  the  entire  surface  of  New  Mexico. 
The  greater  part  of  the  land  produces  excellent  grass  for  pasture, 
and,  with  irrigation  and  cultivation,  would  produce  all  of  the 
cereals  and  vegetables  equally  well  with  the  valleys ;  but  for  the 
most  part  they  have  so  great  an  elevation  above  the  streams 
that,  if  there  were  surplus  water  after  irrigating  the  valleys, 
they  could  not  be  reached  by  irrigating  canals.  The  only  hope 
therefore  of  reclaiming  the  table-lands  of  New  Mexico  is  by 
means  of  artesian  wells.  *  *  No 

other  attempt  (than  that  made  by  the  general  government,  and 
suspended  in  1858-'59-'60,  on  the  staked  plain,  and  on  the  mesa 
twenty -five  miles  south  of  Santa  Fe*)  has  been  made  in  New 
Mexico  to  obtain  water  by  sinking  artesian  wells;  and  the 
question  as  to  the  practicability  of  obtaining  water  for  irrigation 
by  this  means  is  yet  to  be  decided.  The  soil  upon  the  greater 
part  of  these  table- lands,  or  plains,  as  they  are  sometimes  called, 
is  good.  The  vegetable  growth  is  grama  grass  of  two  or  three 
varieties,  the  palmilla,  amole  or  soapweed,  many  varieties  of 
the  cactus,  and  in  places  the  artemesia.  Scattering  piiion  and 
cedar,  and  in  the  south  a  species  of  the  live  oak,  cover  con- 
siderable districts,  connecting  generally  with  the  forests  of  the 
mountains." 

The  surveyor  general  in  his  annual  report  for  1873,  speaking 
of  irrigation,  says: — 

"This  is  a  subject  of  first  class  importance  to  this  as  to  the 
other  Territories.  Considerable  attention  is  bestowed  upon  it 
by  prominent  citizens.  *  *  *  *  *  *  It  is 
proposed,  I  believe,  to  digest  a  plan  to  be  laid  before  congress, 
to  grant  some  portions  of  the  public  domain  to  aid  the  work.  It 
would  be  very  proper  and  politic  for  the  general  government  to 
do  this,  on  the  same  principle  that  it  gives  the  swamps  and 
overflowed  lands  to  the  States  in  which  they  lie  to  be  by  them 
reclaimed.  The  principle,  I  suppose,  is  the  same — but  in  one 
case  there  is  a  troublesome  surplus  of  water,  and  in  the  other  a 
dearth  of  that  useful  fluid.  If  it  is  proper  to  give  WET  LAND 
PROVIDED  WE  WILL  DRY  IT,  it  is  surely  right  to  give  us  the 
DRY  LAND  IF  WE  WILL  WET  IT!  "With  an  efficient  system 
of  irrigation  in  the  valleys  of  our  streams,  the  finest  of  crops 

*  And  we  may  add  except  that  made  in  1870  at  the  Placer  mines,  south  of 
Santa  Fe,  and  after  partial  success  suspended  for  want  of  capital. 


IRRIGATION.  137 


can  be  raised,  and  with  more  certainty  as  to  their  growth,  and 
with  more  safety   in   harvesting,  than  where   the   reliance  is 
ntirely  upon  the  fall  of  rain." 

In  the  suggestion  of  the  surveyor  general,  which  we  have 
mphasized  in  the  foregoing,  we  find  combined  an  excellent 
instance  of  official  wit  and  a  laconic  array  of  solid  argument. 
The  plan  which  he  says  it  was  proposed  to  digest  and  present 
to  congress  for  its  sanction  is  now  pending  before  that  body  in 
the  form  of  a  bill  for  reclaiming  and  utilizing  by  means  of  irri- 
gation the  vast  fertile  table-lands  west  of  the  Rocky  mountains. 
We  trust  the  bill  will  be  enacted  into  a  law.     In  this  Territory 
the  subject  of  conveying  the  necessary  volumes  of  water  from 
the  rivers  to  the  fertile  uplands  and  rich  gold  placers,  with  the 
purpose  of  irrigating  those,  and  washing  the  dirt  of  these,  has 
received   some   attention.      And   in   this   connection   we   may 
mention  that  an  estimate  has  been  made  of  the  practicability 
and  cost  of  carrying  four  thousand  inches  of  water  from  the 
Pecos  river  to  .the  gold  placers  south  of  Santa  F6.     The  subject 
was  considered,  and  the  estimate  made  by  very  competent  par- 
ties, and  by  them  it  is  believed  to  be  quite  feasible  to  take  a 
ditch  out  of  the  Pecos,  sufficiently  high  to  carry  4,000  inches  of 
water  to  a  point  which  will  give  an  altitude  of  600  to  800  feet 
higher  than  the  placers.     From  this  terminus  of  the  ditch,  a 
distance  of  about  35  miles,  iron  pipe  to  convey  the  above  amount 
of  water  is  estimated  to  cost  $300,000;  with  the  proposed  head 
i!0  hydraulics  could  be  supplied,  washing  an  immense  amount 
of  rich  pay-dirt,  and  uncovering,  we  may  say,  sufficient  gold  to 
pay  expense  of  ditch  and  pipe  in  six  months,  and  eventually 
uncovering  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  gold,  and  besides  the 
thousands  of  tons  of  rich  gold  bearing  quartz,  copper  and  silver 
ores  it  would   bring  to  light,  and  give  employment  to  a  large 
number  of  miners. 


138  BREVOOBT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

INDIANS  IN  THE  TERRITORY.  . 
Besides  the  seven  thousand  peaceable,  and  peaceful  and  hon- 
est and  industrious  Pueblo  Indians  in  their  villages  in  New 
Mexico,  there  are  nearly  twice  as  many  «  wild  "  Indians — sav- 
ages who  quite  until  the  recent  inauguration  of  the  present 
reservation  policy  of  President  Grant,  had  been  for  centuries  the 
scourge  of  New  Mexico  and  the  New  Mexicans.  They  depre- 
dated upon  life  and  property  continually,  extensively  and  every- 
where. This  country  has  witnessed  and  experienced,  genera- 
tion in  and  generation  out,  an  incessant  war  of  races  between 
the  white  man  and  the  red,  the  latter  continually  raiding  for 
blood  and  booty  upon  the  frontier  settlements,  and  the  denizens 
of  these  as  often  pursuing  him  for  revenge  to  his  inaccessible 
mountain  fastnesses.  It  was  so  alike  under  the  Spanish,  the 
Mexican  and  the  American  governments;  and  while  this  relation 
of  the  two  great  classes  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Territory  con- 
tinued, of  course  there  was  no  encouragement  for  the  develop- 
ment of  the  resources  of  the  country,  and  indeed  hardly  a 
motive  for  the  acquisition  or  accumulation  of  perishable  estate 
or  for  the  utilization  or  improvement  of  landed  property. 

The  wild  Indians  of  New  Mexico,  some  of  whom  still  roam 
and  prey,  but  most  of  whom  are  now  gathered  upon  reservations, 
are  in  name  and  about  in  number  as  follows: 

Navajos 8,500 

Apaches 4,500 

Utes* 1,500 

14,500 

The  Navajos  being  a  tribe  without  subdivisions,  the  Apaches 
being  subdivided  into  Jicarillas,  Gilas  and  Mescaleros,  and  the 
Utes  into  Capotes,  Wemenuches  and  Mohuaches. 

All  these  are  the  red  rascals  who,  together  with  the  frequent 
assistance  in  earlier  times  of  their  confederates  in  crime  and 
thievery,  the  Comanches  and  Kiowas,  so  long  depredated  upon 
the  lives  and  property  of  our  people.  But  their  day  has  gone, 
though  the  savages  themselves  remain;  and  while  the  land  yet 
stinks  of  their  presence,  we  shall  here  say  a  few  words  concern- 
ing them  and  their  management. 

*  The  proper  spelling  and  pronunciation  of  the  word  is  Yuta — the  Americans 
having  corrupted  and  spoiled  it  with  "  Utah,"  and  then  annihilated  it  with 
"  Ute."  The  Territory  of  Utah  has  a  hideous  misnomer. 


INDIANS   IN    THE    TERRITORY. 


139 


For  the  last  year  or  two  all  has  been  comparatively  speaking 
quiet  in  New  Mexico,  with  the  exception  of  the  Apaches  in  the 
south  western  part  of  the  Territory,  who  are  fast  coming  under 
the  banner  of  peace,  the  result  of  the  formidable  and  just  chas- 
tisement they  are  receiving  at  the  hands  of  General  Crook — 
something  they  have  deserved  for  many  years.  The  depredating, 
unsettled  state  of  affairs  in  certain  localities  instead  of  having 
been  quashed  and  silenced,  have  been  buoyed  up  by  the  mal- 
action,  and  utter  ignorance  of  authority  appointed  to  select 
reservations  and  to  control  the  Indians.  We  refer  to  the  Quaker 
policy,  the  Collier  and  Howard  humbugs  whose  ignorance  in 
such  matters  must  cost  the  government  millions  of  dollars;  the 
great  and  fatal  mistake  of  HowTard  in  selecting  an  Indian  reser- 
vation, one  of  the  boundary  lines  of  which  being  the  national 
boundary  between  the  United  States  and  the  Republic  of  Mex- 
ico, is  preposterous.  The  money  consideration  of  this  blunder 
is  slowly  but  surely  coming  to  light,  and  will  be  enormous  in 
amount.  The  states  of  Sonora,  Sinaloa,  Chihuahua  and  Durango, 
have  in  a  manner  been  in  part  devastated  and  ruined  from  the 
forays  of  the  Apaches  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  and  well 
may  we  say  that  'the  money  consideration  will  be  enormous, 
when  the  Republic  of  Mexico  shall  have  justice  meted  out  to  her 
from  the  treasury  of  the  United  States  to  cover  these  depreda- 
tions. 

Why  the  government  should  select  and  send  out  such  men, 
who  know  nothing  whatever  of  the  Indian  character,  or  of  the 
wants  and  wishes  of  the  people  of  the  Territory,  we  cannot 
imagine,  unless  it  be  for  favor  to  one,  whilst  thousands  suffer  the 
consequences.  Why  does  not  the  government  leave  to  the  peo- 
ple of  the  Territory,  to  her  experienced  men,  who  are  identified 
with  the  country,  the  selection  of  proper  reservations,  in  proper 
localities,  and  why  are  not  these  Indians  placed  under  experi- 
enced men,  who  are  numbered  by  scores  in  the  territories?  To 
the  contrary,  inexperienced,  unfitted  strangers  are  sent  out  to 
dictate  to  the  people  where  the  Indian  shall  be  placed,  regardless 
of  the  consequences  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  Territory — no  won- 
der we  have  trouble.  The  cause  of  the  constant  complaint  from 
both  parties  is  apparent,  and  it  is  high  time  it  should  be  reme- 
died, before  blood  and  massacre  pay  the  tribute.  In  other  times 
of  our  recollection,  Indian  men,  or  in  other  words,  men  of  expe- 
rience in  Indian  matters,  were  called  Indian  men,  and  were 


140  BREVOOBT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


selected  to  make  important  treaties  and  demands,  who  appeared 
upon  the  council  grounds,  backed  in  force  by  the  military  power, 
and  demands  made  which  were  always  acceded  to  by  the  Indian. 
Now  the  style  is  to  ask  the  Indian  to  dictate  his  own  terms,  as 
in  the  Howard-Cachise  case.  After  thirty  years  experience  on 
the  frontiers,  several  of  which  were  spent  with  different  tribes 
of  Indians,  we  are  prepared  to  say  this:  First,  it  is  essentially 
necessary  and  all  important  to  whale  them  without  mercy,  and 
until  they  crawl  upon  their  hands  and  knees  and  beg  for  peace, 
and  be  sure  there  is  no  deception,  or  in  other  words,  possuming. 
Then  place  them  on  reservations,  disarm  and  dismount  them 
completely,  make  it  the  penalty  of  death  to  be  seen  off  the  res- 
ervation; likewise  to  the  white  man  who  is  caught  upon  it  with- 
out permission  after  well  defined  boundaries  are  established  and 
constantly  proclaimed,  with  a  double  line  reservation,  or  a  strip 
of  land  five  miles  wide  as  neutral  ground,  around  the  reservation, 
to  be  seen  upon  which  the  penalty  shall  be  death;  give  them  a 
sufficient  number  of  breeding  cattle  and  sheep  to  warrant  the 
yearly  increase  cannot  be  consumed  by  them  after  breeding  five 
years.  In  the  mean  time  feed  them  high  with  flour,  bacon, 
grease,  sugar  and  coffee  and  meat,  and  after  about  two  years  of 
such  feeding  they  will  die  off  faster  than  they  can  be  killed  off 
any  other  way  in  a  Christian  like  manner.  After  five  years,  if  they 
have  not  learned  to  raise  wheat  and  corn,  let  them  subsist  on 
meat  alone,  not  allowing  them  to  waste  any  under  severe  penal- 
ties, or  if  they  have  corn  and  wheat,  have  it  made  into  flour  and 
meal,  not  allowing  them  to  manufacture  the  grain  into  tizwin, 
upon  which  the  rascals  get  continually  drunk.  Let  the  military 
arm  of  power  control  Indians  and  reservations,  use  the  black 
snake  whip  freely  on  the  lazy,  indolent  characters,  and  make 
them  git  to  the  herd  or  work,  and  you  will  soon  have  no  idlers, 
but  a  peaceable,  docile  lot  of  aborigines  in  camp. 

Our  idea  of  a  reservation  for  the  Ute  Indians,  now  occupying 
the  northwestern  part  of  New  Mexico,  the  southwestern  part  of 
Colorado,  and  the  southeastern  part  of  Utah,  would  be  a  point 
below  the  junction  of  Green  and  Grand  rivers,  making  the  Colo- 
rado river  of  the  west  the  western  boundary  of  said  reservation, 
selecting  on  the  north  and  south,  at  a  suitable  distance,  one  each 
of  the  numerous  immensely  deep  chasms  which  run  from  the 
plains  on  the  east  into  the  Colorado  river,  and  on  the  east  a  line 


INDIANS   IN   THE    TERRITORY.  141 


of  military  works  sufficient  to  guard  that  line  alone.  Here  the 
western  boundary  of  the  reservation,  the  canon  of  the  Colorado 
river,  is  impassable  for  man  or  beast;  on  the  north  and  south  the 
boundaries  are  a  species  of  awfully  sublime,  deep,  rugged,  almost 
bottomless  chasms,  and  as  difficult  to  cross  as  the  canon  of  the 
Colorado  above  referred  to.  Here  is  a  place  for  a  reservation 
where  no  white  settler  will  venture  for  the  next  century;  where 
the  Indian  can  find  game  for  time  indefinite,  and  be  entirely  out 
of  the  way  of  the  immense  immigration  which  is  flowing  west, 
and  which  is  not  unlike  the  tidal  wave  of  the  ocean — every 
obstacle  in  its  way,  particularly  the  Indian,  will  be  crushed  and 
exterminated,  if  not  removed  in  time. 

Every  article  of  merchandise  furnished  them,  viz:  blankets, 
different  sizes,  coarse  cloth  and  indigo  blue  merrimac  prints, 
which  are  really  the  only  three  articles  they  require,  should  be 
manufactured  expressly  of  some  peculiar  pattern,  and  the  words 
Indian  Department  worked  into  the  material  in  large  letters, 
the  hoes,  spades,  knives,  and  such  articles  should  also  be  stamped 
.in  the  same  way,  and  a  law  made,  making  it  an  offence 
punishable  by  imprisonment  five  years  at  hard  labor  for  any 
person  to  have  in  his  or  her  possession  any  of  the  above  articles. 
With  such  a  policy  we  would  have  no  more  trouble  with  wild 
Indian  tribes,  reduce  the  cost  of  maintaining  them  several 
millions  of  dollars,  with  a  sure  and  certain  prospect,  a  fact 
beyond  doubt,  that  they  would  after  five  years  subsist  themselves 
from  off  the  increase  of  their  cattle  and  sheep  herds,  and  have  a 
surplus  of  beef  and  mutton  to  turn  over  to  the  government 
yearly  for  use  of  the  troops,  and  in  payment  of  their  annuities 
in  merchandise;  we  could  unite  at  great  length  upon  the  advan- 
tages of  such  a  policy,  and  show  its  real  merits;  we  might  also 
make  mention  of  the  reservation  selected  for  Jicarilla  Apaches. 
The  absolute  and  monstrous  outrage  here  committed  upon  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Territory,  and  the  unfitness  of  the  location 
for  the  Apaches — but  we  stay  further  comment — the  Indians 
have  been  humored  to  such  an  extent  that  nothing  but  a  sound 
thrashing  will  bring  them  to  reason,  subjection  and  respect,  and 
that  time  may  come  the  present  season  from  all  appearances. 

In  writing  of  the  New  Mexico  Indian,  it  is  pleasant  to  turn 
from  the  wild  savage  to  the  gentle  and  meritorious  Pueblo.  The 
Pueblos,  like  the  Israelites,  are  a  " peculiar  people."  They 


142  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

number  in  the  Territory  about  seven  thousand,  all  of  them  the 
inhabitants  of  well  constructed  villages,  and  of  comfortable 
dwellings  therein,  the  cultivators  of  the  soil,  and  the  growers  of 
live  stock.  They  were  living  in  towns  when  first  discovered 
by  the  Spaniards.*  The  testimony  of  the  earliest  explorers — 
Cabeza  de  Vaca,  Bastafieda  and  Coronado — is  conclusive  upon 
this  point.  In  the  year  1680  they  revolted  against  their  Spanish 
oppressors  in  the  country,  and  aided,  as  it  may  be  supposed,  by 
the  wild  Indians,  killed  or  drove  them  all  out  of  the  province. 
The  re-conquest  was  not  complete  until  the  year  1693;  but  in 
1689  the  governor  and  captain  general,  Domingo  Jironza  Petriz 
de  Cruzate,  issued  from  El  Paso  to  all  the  pueblos,  except  that  of 
Sandia,  which  was  established  since  (in  1748),  a  paper  recognizing 
their  respective  claims  to  the  lands  occupied  by  them — in  some 
cases  granting  them  certain  limits,  in  others  simply  admitting 
and  conceding  the  limits  claimed  by  the  pueblo. 

The  pueblo  Indians  of  New  Mexico  live  entirely  by  agricul- 
tural pursuits.  They  have  small  flocks  of  sheep  and  goats,  and 
herds  of  cattle  and  horses,  which  they  pasture  upon  that  part  of 
their  lands  unfit  for  cultivation.  The  flocks  are  always  attended 
by  pastores.  who  drive  them  to  the  pasture  grounds  in  the 
morning,  and  return  them  to  the  village  for  safety  at  night. 
The  milk  of  the  ewes  and  goats  furnishes  no  inconsiderable 
portion  of  their  daily  food.  They  profess  the  Roman  Catholic 
religion,  and  are  sober,  industrious  and  virtuous.  Under  the 
Mexican  government  they  voted  and  held  office,  and  enjoyed 
all  the  right  of  citizenship — rights  which  have  not  heretofore 
however  been  acknowledged  by  the  United  States.  Each  pueblo 
or  village  is  a  community  within  itself,  f  The  male  inhabitants 
of  the  village  on  Christmas  eve  annually  elect  a  governor, 
lieutenant  governor,  war  captain,  and  subordinate  officers,  who 
order  the  internal  affairs  of  the  pueblo,  the  people  obeying 
implicitly  the  officers  of  their  choice. 

*  The  earliest  record  we  have  looking  to  the  puebloization  of  the  Indians  of 
ultramarine  possessions  of  Spain  is  the  decree  of  the  emperor  Carlos  II,  of  March 
21,  1551,  setting  forth  that  in  pursuance  of  a  royal  command,  of  1546,  the  prelates 
of  New  Spain,  now  Mexico,  specially  convened,  had  resolved  that  the  Indians 
should  be  reduced  to  pueblos;  and  Felipe  II  made  a  statute  and  regulations  for 
the  protection  of  the  Pueblo  Indians,  and  for  the  settlement  of  others  not  then 
living  in  villages. 

f  The  populations  of  the  pueblos  respectively  are  given  in  our  tabular  state- 
ment of  the  population  of  the  Territory  by  counties. 


INDIANS    IN    THE   TERRITORY.  143 

The  study  of  the  Pueblos  is  a  most  interesting  one,  though 
one  which  it  is  believed  will  never  unveil  the  mystery  of  who 
they  were  in  the  zenith  of  their  power  and'  glory  in  this  portion 
of  the  world.  We  believe  it  was  the  ancestors  of  those  we  have 
among  us  to-day  who  built  and  inhabited  the  evidently  immense 
and  populous  ancient  pueblos  or  towns  whose  ruins  stand  all  over 
New  Mexico — but  the  mystery  as  to  who  and  what  manner  of 
people  it  really  was  who  built  the  ancient  pueblos  we  refer  to, 
is  as  much  a  question  still  as  is  the  mystery  of  the  builders  of 
the  pyramids.  Certainly  they  were  a  people  powerful  in  num- 
bers, and  advanced  in  the  arts.  These  ancient  people  are 
usually  referred  to  as  the  Montezumas.  In  our  mountains  and 
valleys  are  many  ruins  of  the  Montezumas,  and  they  extend 
south  into  Chihuahua,  and  west  into  Arizona.  Some  of  these 
old  ruins  of  pueblos  indicate  that  their  denizens  numbered  even 
tens  of  thousands.  The  Montezumas  clearly  were  the  most  civ- 
ilized of  all  the  Indians,  and  they  were  evidently  advanced  in 
many  arts  and  sciences  ;  had  a  complete  system  of  government, 
and  their  kings  had  absolute  sway  over  an  empire  whose  extent 
was  great,  and  much  of  which,  since  it  has  been  acquired  by  the 
United  States,  remains  '  unexplored,  and  whose  population 
amounted  to  hundreds  of  thousands.  They  were  an  industrious 
people,  adepts  in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  (by  irrigation,  as  the 
remains  cf  their  ditches  show),  in  mining,  and  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  woolen  goods,  in  which  latter  industry  some  of  the 
Indians  of  the  country,  the  Navajos,  still  excel.  They  built 
houses  and  temples;  they  were  a  great  nation  of  miners;  the 
empire  was  and  remains  a  rich  extent  of  precious  metals,  and 
indications  are  found  of  their  working  of  mines  on  the  streams 
and  in  the  mountains. 

The  Pueblos  of  to-day — says  Major  John  Ward,  formerly 
government  agent  among  them,  and  whom  twenty-five  years  of 
constant,  intimate  intercourse  with  them  had  made  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  tUeir  character  and  all  their  customs — are  all 
of  them  nominally  Roman  Catholics  in  religion,  and  as  far  as  can 
be  discerned,  appear  to  be  sincere  and  earnestly  devoted  to  the 
rites  of  that  church,  whose  showy  ceremonies  present  to  them  a 
religion  they  can  see,  and  for  that  reason  in  some  degree  compre- 
hend and  appreciate.  Each  town  has  its  church  edifice,  which 
is  held  in  high  respect.  The  people  esteem  and  obey  their 
priests.  They  generally  marry,  baptize  and  bury  according  to 


144  BREVOORT'S   NEW   MEXICO. 

the  rules  of  that  sect.  The  holy  days  are  generally  attended  to. 
Each  has  its  patron  saint,  whose  name  the  pueblo  bears,  with 
few  exceptions,  and  whose  anniversary  is  never  neglected.,  On 
that  day  a  great  feast  takes  place,  and  after  the  ceremonies 
pertaining  to  the  church  are  over,  which  occupy  the  first  part  of 
the  day,  amusements  of  all  kinds  are  universally  resorted  to, 
such  as  foot  racing,  horse  racing,  cock  fighting,  gambling, 
dancing,  eating  and  drinking,  with  the  usual  accompaniments. 
On  such  occasions  liberality  is  an  especial  virtue,  and  no  pains 
are  spared  to  make  everybody  welcome.  Some  of  the  Pueblos 
are  noted  for  these  feasts,  and  great  numbers  from  distant  parts 
of  the  country  flock  thither  to  enjoy  the  amusements  and  share 
their  hospitalities.  Independently  of  the  foregoing,  however, 
there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  Pueblos  still  adhere  to 
their  native  belief  and  ancient  rites.  That  most  of  them  have  faith 
in  Montezuma  is  beyond  a  doubt,  but  in  what  light  it  is  difficult  to 
say,  as  they  seldom  or  never  speak  of  him,  and  avoid  conver- 
sations on  the  subject.  Like  other  people,  they  do  not  like  to  be 
questioned  on  subjects  which  they  believe  to  concern  no  one  but 
themselves.  It  is  stated  by  some  that  the  Montezuma  of  the 
Pueblo  Indians  is  not  the  Montezuma  of  the  conquest,  but  an 
agent  of  the  Spanish  and  Mexican  governments,  formerly  chosen 
to  protect  the  rights  and  interests  of  the  Pueblos,  and  called 
Protector  de  los  Indios.  Be  this  as  it  may,  one  thing  is  certain: 
that  this  view  of  the  subject  differs  entirely  from  that  of  the 
Indians.  They  believe  to  this  day  that  Montezuma  originated  in 
New  Mexico,  and  some  go  so  far  as  to  designate  his  birth-place. 
In  this  they  differ,  however,  some  affirming  that  he  was  born  at 
the  old  pueblo  of  Pecos,  just  east  of  the  city  of  Santa  F6,  and 
others,  that  his  birth-place  was  an  old  pueblo  located  near  Ojo 
Caliente,  the  ruins  of  which  are  still  to  be  seen,  north  of  Santa 
Fe  about  fifty  miles. 

There  are  within  the  limits  of  New  Mexico  nineteen  existing 
"  pueblos,"  the  names  of  all  of  which  are  given  at  the  end  of 
this  paragraph,  including  that  of  Pecos,  the  one  most  recently 
depopulated,  and  whose  remnant  of  inhabitants  removed  to,  and 
incorporated  themselves  with  the  Jemez  pueblo  some  years  since. 
The  pueblo  of  Zuni  stands  in  Arizona  we  believe,  though  it  is 
thought  by  some  to  be  in  New  Mexico,  wherein  all  the  maps 
locate  it.  The  interritorial  line,  which  is  100°  west  longitude, 


INDIANS    IN    THE    TERRITORY.  145 


has  not  yet  been  surveyed  and  marked,  and  the  pueblo  probably 
stands  a  few  minutes  west  of  it,  in  about  latitude  35°  10'.  It 
belongs  naturally  to  the  pueblo  system  of  New  Mexico,  and  we 
have  included  it  among  the  population  of  our  county  of  Valencia, 
though  it  belongs  more  properly  perhaps  to  that  of  the  county  of 
Santa  Ana. 

The  old  Spanish  archives  preserved  at  Santa  Fe,  show  that 
formerly  the  respective  pueblos  were  referred  to  as  of  theTegua, 
the  Queres  or  the  Taro  division  of  the  Pueblo  Indians.  The  fol- 
lowing list  of  the  villages  examined  in  connection  with  a  map 
of  the  Territory,  showing  their  localities,  will  elicit  the  inter- 
esting fact  that  some  intervening  villages  speak  dialects  different 
from  those  of  their  nearest  neighbors,  and  identical  with  those 
of  distant  ones;  which  circumstance  suggests,  we  think,  that 
at  some  time  long  agone,  some  cataclysm  must  have  occurred  in 
this  country  among  the  pueblos,  wvhich  occasioned  a  radical  con- 
fusion and  disorganization  of  peoples  and  communities. 

The  Indians  of  the  pueblos  of  Santa  Clara,  Tesuque,  Nambe, 
San  Ildefonso,  San  Juan,  Pojoaque,  Pecos,  Jemez,  speak  one  dia- 
lect— the  Tegua;  those  of  the  pueblos  of  Taos,  Picuris,  Sandia, 
Isleta,  speak  one  dialect — the  Tano;  those  of  the  pueblos  of  Santo 
Domingo,  Cochiti,  San  Felipe,  Santa  Ana,  Sandia,  Laguna, 
Acoma,  speak  one  dialect — the  Queres. 

These  interesting  inhabitants  of  our  Territory,  the  Pueblo 
Indians,  are  an. important,  and  when  they  assume  the  practical 
exercise  of  their  political  rights  and  privileges,  a  powerful  con- 
stituent of  the  body  politic.  Possessing  and  exercising  the 
functions  of  Mexican  citizens  under  the  constitution  and  laws  of 
the  Republic  of  Mexico,  and  having  a  status  as  such  citizens  at 
the  time  of  the  change  of  national  sovereignty  in  1848,  though 
declining  until  recently  to  claim  citizenship  under  the  Ameri- 
can government,  they  are  nevertheless,  and  have  been  for  the 
last  quarter  century,  under  international  treaty,  and  entirely 
aside  from  Article  XIV  of  the  United  States  constitution,  de  jure 
and  de  facto  American  citizens,  and  entitled  to  vote  and  hold 
office,  and  exercise  and  enjoy  all  the  other  rights  and  privileges 
of  such  citizens.  The  supreme  court  of  New  Mexico  has  twice 
so  held  and  decided — once  in  1867,  and  again  in  1874.  On  this 
occasion  several  cases  were  before  the  court  on  appeal  involving 
the  status  of  the  Pueblo  Indians  as  to  whether  they  are  citizens 

10 


146  BREVOORTrS   NEW   MEXICO. 

of  the  United  States,  by  what  tenure  they  hold  their  lands,  and 
whether  they  hava  the  right  to  sell  and  dispose  of  the  same  as 
other  citizens  may  do.  These  cases  were  brought  into  the 
supreme  court  from  the  district  court,  and  were  instituted  to 
recover  the  penalty  imposed  by  act  of  Congress  of  1834,  known 
as  Indian  Intercourse  Act,  for  settling  on  Indian  lands.  The 
court  decided  substantially  that  the  Pueblo  Indian»  of  this  Terri- 
tory were  made  citizens  of  the  Republic  of  Mexico  by  the  plan  of 
Iguala,  the  treaty  of  Cordova,  and  the  decrees  of  the  Mexican 
Congress  passed  in  1824,  and  being  citizens  of  Mexico  at  the 
time  that  New  Mexico  was  acquired,  were  included  in  the  term 
<  Mexicans,'  as  used  in  the  treaty  of  Guadaloupe  Hidalgo,  and 
thereby  became  citizens  of  the  United  States,  with  full  power  to 
sell  and  dispose  of  their  lands,  which  they  hold  primarily  under 
grants  from  Spain  and  Mexico,  which  have  been  confirmed  by 
acts  of  Congress,  and  patented  in  conformity  with  law.  Many 
of  these  grants  are  more  than  two  hundred  years  old,  and  these 
Indians  have  exercised  the  right  to  sell  and  convey  in  fee  sim- 
ple for  more  than  fifty  years.  The  Indians  themselves  make  no 
complaint,  but  maintain  good  faith  towards  the  purchasers,  and 
wonder  why  the  government  should  seek  to  annul  their  dona 
fide  contracts,  or  interfere  with  their  rights  and  privileges  as 
citizens. 

It  is  conceded  that  their  lands  are  fully  equal  to  any  of  the 
fruit  or  grain  lands  in  the  Territory  in  location  and  productive- 
ness, and  their  standard  of  cultivation  equals  in  excellence  the 
best  methods  of  the  country.  This  decision  will  augment  the 
voting  population  of  the  Territory  at  least  four  thousand,  and 
will  relieve  the  government  from  the  necessity  and  expense  of 
supporting  pueblo  agents,  and  the  distribution  of  farming  imple- 
ments amongst  them,  when  they  are  as  well  or  better  able  to  buy 
for  themselves  than  the  majority  of  our  other  citizens.  The 
purchasers  of  these  lands  number  at  least  five  thousand  people 
throughout  the  Territory,  and  they  are  now  relieved  from  anxi- 
ety as  to  the  tenure  of  their  estates,  because  they  believe  that 
the  supreme  court  of  the  United  States  will  approve  the  decision, 
the  cases  having  been  appealed  by  the  government. 


THE   MESILLA    VALLEY.  147 

THE    MESILLA    VALLEY. 

This  portion  of  southern  New  Mexico  did  not  become  United 
States  territory,  like  the  balance  of  New  Mexico,  in  virtue  of 
the  treaty  of  Guadaloupe  Hidalgo  of  1848.  It  was  acquired 
under  the  treaty  of  December  30,  1853,  and  the  United  States 
Congress,  by  the  act  approved  August  4,  1854,  declared  that 
"until  otherwise  provided  by  law,  the  territory  acquired  under 
the  late  treaty  with  Mexico,  commonly  known  as  the  Gadsden 
treaty,  be  and  the  same  is  hereby  incorporated  with  the  Territory 
of  New  Mexico,  subject  to  all  the  laws  of  said  last  named  Terri- 
tory." 

Previous  to  1850  there  were  no  white  settlements,  except  at 
Dona  Ana,  in  the  Mesilla  valley.  Between  the  dates  of  the 
treaties  of  1848  and  1853  the  national  government  of  Mexico  and 
the  state  government  of  Chihuahua  were  desirous  that  those 
Mexican  citizens  in  New  Mexico  who  wished  to  retain  their 
character  as  such,  should  remove  into  the  territory  of  the  Mexi- 
can Republic,  and  they  each  made  provision  for  their  transpor- 
tation thither.  A  considerable  number  of  families  went  into  the 
valley  from  the  up  country,  and  located  in  colonies,  authorized 
and  aided  by  those  governments,  more  particularly  the  state 
government,  which  had  made  grants  of  land  to  the  colonists, 
and  encouraged  with  practical  aid  emigration  and  settlement 
there. 

At  Dona  Ana  Bend,  a  colony  grant,  as  shown  by  the  records 
at  Chihuahua,  was  made  by  the  state  government  in  1839,  and 
a  colony,  which  for  a  time  flourished,  was  established  there. 
We  do  not  know  that  it  was  ever  depopulated  and  abandoned, 
though  this  is  very  probable,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  in  those 
days  settlements  everywhere  in  New  Mexico  were  ruinously 
harrassed  by  Indian  depredations  upon  life  and  property.  The 
place  is  now  well  settled,  a  large  and  flourishing  population  of 
farmers  and  stock-raisers  inhabiting  the  spot.  The  United  States 
surveyor  geneial  reports  in  1865  that  the  grant  to  the  colony  of 
Doiia  Ana,  made  by  the  state  government  of  Chihuahua  in  1853, 
is  about  sixteen  miles  in  length  along  the  left  bank  of  the  Bio 
Grande,  and  from  one  to  three  miles  in  width  of  irrigable  land, 
and  one  league  in  width  of  mesa  or  pasture  land,  called  egidos, 
or  commons.  The  grant  embraces  the  town  of  Dona  Ana,  con- 
taining about  a  thousand  people,  Las  Cruces  containing  about 


148  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

two   thousand,   Tortugas,  containing  about  three  hundred,  and 
ranches  containing  about  three  hundred  and  fifty. 

The  town  of  Mesilla,  below  Dona  Ana,  was  settled  in  the 
year  1850  on  public  land,  to  which,  in  1853,  the  inhabitants 
received  a  grant  from  the  Mexican  government  as  a  colony,  the 
limits  of  which  colony  lands  embrace  also  the  town  of  Picacho, 
the  whole  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Bio  Grande,  between  it  and 
the  mesa  or  table  land,  and  extending  north  and  south  about  ten, 
and  east  and  west  about  two  and  a  half  miles.  The  town  of 
Mesilla  contains  perhaps  two  thousand,  and  the  town  of  Picacho, 
with  surrounding  ranches,  perhaps  one  thousand  souls. 

The  town  of  La  Mesa,  just  south  of  La  Mesilla,  is  situated, 
we  think,  upon  public  land,  and  contains  about  seven  hundred 
people.  They  claim  a  tract  of  land  extending  some  ten  or  twelve 
miles  along  the  right  bank  of  the  Bio  Grande,  embracing  about 
two  hundred  ranchos  of  eighty  acres  each.  Santo  Tomas  is  a 
town  of  about  three  hundred  souls,  situate  between  La  Mesilla 
and  La  Mesa,  and  was  settled  in  the  year  1852.  The  people 
claim  a  tract  of  land  about  four  miles  square.  The  town  of 
Amoles,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Rio  Grande,  below  La  Mesa, 
was  settled  in  1851,  and  is  a  flourishing  settlement,  the  people 
claiming,  we  believe,  under  a  Mexican  grant,  one  league  of  irri- 
gable and  one  league  of  pastoral  land. 

The  government  of  Mexico  in  the  year  1851  or  J852,  granted 
to  a  number  of  citizens  a  tract  of  land  for  the  colony  of  Kef ugio, 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Bio  Grande,  about  six  leagues  north  of 
El  Paso,  the  land  then  lying  in  the  state  of  Chihuahua,  Mexico, 
now  in  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico,  United  States,  the  place 
being  now  occupied  by  a  considerable  number  of  inhabitants. 

A  prominent  citizen  of  the  valley,  Judge  Knapp,  has  re- 
cently written  and  published  a  series  of  interesting,  and  no 
doubt  reliable  articles,  setting  forth  the  various  natural  advan- 
tages and  attractions-  of  southern  New  Mexico,  and  particularly 
of  the  Mesilla  valley,  and  we  here  append  the  major  portion  of 
the  same. 

THE  MESILLA  VALLEY. 

"  People  in  the  fog-clad  states  are  constantly  inquiring,  where 
can  our  asthmatics  and  consumptives  go  to  find  relief  from  those 
diseases  which  must  sooner  or  later  take  away  those  who  are 


THE   MESILLA  VALLEY  149 

affected  by  them?  Florida,  Cuba,  southern  Europe,  and  the  cold 
clime  of  Minnesota  have  been  tested,  and  failed  to  give  the 
needed  relief;  then  all  eyes  have  been  turned  to  Colorado.  The 
rank,  tropical  vegetation  of  Cuba  and  Florida,  saturated  with 
moisture,  and  rooting  under  a  summer  heat,  has  proved  more 
dangerous  from  their  miasms,  than  the  diseases  from  which  the 
patient  has  sought  relief.  Southern  Europe  has  proved  too  damp 
and  changeable,  and  many  a  bright  intellect  has  sunk  there  from 
the  diseases  they  have  endeavored  to  escape.  Colorado  has 
bright  days,  warm  summer  sunshine,  cool  nights,  arid  climate, 
but  too  cold  and  snowy  winters,  too  high  an  elevation  for  persons 
on  whose  constitutions  disease  has  fastened  its  fangs;  and  the 
desired  spot  has  not  yet  been  found  by  the  world,  because  the 
public  mind  has  not  been  pointed  to  this  place. 

THIS   SANITORIA    OF    THE   UNION 

is  located  in  southern  New  Mexico,  where  the  atmosphere  is 
more  dry  than  in  Colorado,  the  sky  brighter,  the  nights  suffici- 
ently cool  for  refreshing  sleep,  and  free  from  <damp  night  air,' 
and  the  elevations  are  such  as  to  suit  each  case,  varying  from 
the  elevation  of  the  Bio  Grande  at  4000  feet,  to  the  mines  in 
Grant  county,  and  the  high  cattle  ranges  in  the  Guadaloupe 
ranges  in  Lincoln  county,  where  7000  feet  maybe  selected,  on  the 
clear  trout  streams  and  cool  springs  of  water,  in  an  air  fragrant 
with  the  scent  of  the  pine  and  the  spruce. 

One  of  the  reasons  urged  upon  congress  and  the  people 
of  the  United  States  for  the  confirmation  of  the  Gadsden 
Purchase  Treaty,  was  the  acknowledged  salubrity  of  the  climate 
in  this  Mesilla  valley.  Since  that  period,  and  especially  since 
the  Butterfield  overland  mail  has  been  drawn  off,  on  account  of 
the  war  between  the  North  and  South,  little  has  been  said  about 
the  valley  itself.  It  has  passed  from  the  public  mind  as  its  sight 
has  been  lost  from  the  public  eye. 

THIS    VALLEY    EXTENDS   ALONG   THE   BIO    GRANDE, 

between  the  33d,  and  31  £  degrees,  is  seventy  miles  long,  and 
from  one  to  six  miles  wide,  and  contains  about  two  hundred  and 
eighty  square  miles,  over  which  the  irrigating  ditches  may  be 
carried.  It  is  hemmed  in  on  the  north-west  by  a  range  of 
mountains,  nearly  1000  feet  higher  than  the  river,  on  the  north 
by  the  Dona  Ana  range,  which  has  peaks  1500  feet  high,  and  on 


150  BREVOOKT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

the  northeast  the  Organ  peaks  tower,  more  than  three  thousand 
feet  above  the  valley.  Thus  is  the  valley  secured  from  the  cold 
winds  from  these  directions,  and  which  sweep  over  the  plains 
and  valleys  farther  north.  Hemmed  in  by  these  mountains,  in 
winter  the  ground  is  never  frozen  to  obstruct  the  plow,  and  the 
days  always  bright,  allow  the  invalid  to  exercise  in  the  sunshine 
every  day,  in  an  almost  summer  heat.  When  the  overland 
mail  ran  here,  many  persons  reached  it  in  search  of  that  health 
they  had  lost  in  the  States,  an,d  succeeded  in  a  remarkable 
degree. 

THERMOMETRICAL    POSITION   OF   THIS   REGION. 

In  latitude,  southern  New  Mexico  corresponds  to  Savannah, 
Georgia,  and  has  a  great  summer  heat,  though  in  the  shade  it  is 
always  cool  and  pleasant.  Its  elevation  gives  it  the  winter 
climate  of  Wilmington,  North  Carolina,  as  is  manifest  from  the 
vegetation  which  can  be  grown  here. 

THIS   CLIMATE    CANNOT    BE    EXCELLED 

for  its  sanatory  qualities.  But  once  since  the  annexation  to  the 
United  States  has  the  mercury  been  noted  below  zero,  and  then 
it  remained  at  that  point  but  a  few  hours.  Snows  seldom  whiten 
the  ground,  and  never  fall  to  the  depth  of  two  inches,  or  lie 
thirty-six  hours.  Not  a  flake  has  fallen  for  more  than  a  year. 
Damp,  chilly  days  and  hot  Sultry  night?,  are  unknown.  The  heat 
of  summer  is  not  oppressive,  and  sunstroke  has  never  been 
known.  The  sky  is  clear  the  year  round,  and  no  day  has  been 
known  when  the  sun  and  stars  have  not  been  seen.  The  atmosphere 
is  unsurpassed  for  its  dryness  and  purity.  Full  of  electricity,  it 
is  wonderfully  exhilirating,  and  never  burdened  by  malarious 
or  poisonous  exhalations.  Blankets  are  necessary  for  all  beds  on 
nights  which  follow  the  hottest  day,  because  the  nights  are  cool, 
though  not  damp.  Sleeping  with  doors  and  windows  open,  or 
in  the  open  air  may  be  practiced  without  risk  of  <  taking  cold.' 
The  asthmatic  or  consumptive  invalid  may  sit  out  of  doors,  ride 
or  walk  in  the  sunshine  360  days  in  the  year,  with  pleasure  and 
comfort,  and  may  always  enjoy  refreshing  sleep  at  night,  thus 
securing  the  most  essential  condition  for  the  restoration  of  a 
shattered  nervous  system,  and  broken  constitution. 


THE   MESILLA   VALLEY.  151 


FREE   AND    FULL   BREATHING   OF    PURE   AIR 

is  the  most  important  for  a  sufferer  from  diseases  of  the  liver  and 
lungs.  Make  such  a  person  breathe,  and  he  will  live;  whatever 
makes  him  breathe  faster  makes  his  blood  flow  more  rapidly  and 
be  better  aerated.  His  appetite  will  increase,  digestion  and 
assimilation  will  respond  to  the  increased  action  of  the  lungs, 
which  is  secured  by  the  elevation  of  this  valley.  Here  one 
must  breathe  more  fully  and  more  rapidly  than  nearer  the  sea 
level,  and  his  air  is  the  purest  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  A 
permanent  increase  of  breathing  capacity,  caused  by  rare  air, 
prevents  the  formation  of  tubercles,  and  often  heals  those  already 
formed.  At  this  elevation,  4000  feet,  this  increase  is  not  so 
great  as  to  be  injurious,  as  is  sometimes  the  case  at  higher 
elevations.  Such  are  some  of  the  conditions  which  give  to 
to  Mesilla  an  extremely  healthy  and  invigorating  climate,  free  from 
the  malaria  of  the  hot,  damp  regions  of  the  river  beds  and  low 
lands  of  the  southern  states,  and  from  the  mountain  fevers, 
colds,  influenzas,  asthmas,  and  consumptions,  of  the  higher 
ranges  of  Rocky  Mountains,  and  cold  fog-bound  regions  of  the 
northern  states.  A  more  desirable  climate  cannot  be  found  the 
world  over.  Persons  shut  out  from  the  light  of  the  sun  are  most 
disposed  to  consumption.  For  such  daily  sunlight  is  everything. 
Southern  New  Mexico  has  more  sunny  days  than  any  region  of 
the  United  States,  probably  more  than  any  other  place;  and  the 
invalid  here  cannot  but  enjoy  that  benefit,  unless  he  purposely 
excludes  himself  from  it. 

WHAT   PHYSICIANS   SAY. 

Florida  and  Cuba  are  warmer  in  winter,  but  they  have  an 
atmosphere  loaded  with  vapor,  and  winter  is  the  period  of  the 
greatest  rains  and,  consequently,  cloudy  days.  The  invalid 
seeking  to  regain  his  health  will  not  go  to  them,  if  he  follows 
the  advice  of  Dr.  Chambers  in  his  lectures  on  the  renewal  of 
life.  That  eminent  English  physician  says: 

« In  choosing  a  home  for  your  consumptive,  do  not  mind  the 
average  height  of  the  thermometer,  or  its  variations;  do  not 
trouble  yourself  about  the  mean  rainfall;  do  not  be  scientific  at 
all,  but  find  out  by  somebody's  journal  how  many  days  were  fine 
enough  to  go  out  forenoon  and  afternoon:  that  is  the  test  you 
require;  and  by  that  you  may  be  confidently  guided.' 


152  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

Tried  by  such  a  test,  and  the  invalid  must  locate  in  the 
Mesilla  valley  in  preference  to  all  other  places.  Here  is  no 
rank,  rich  vegetation,  saturated  with  moisture,  and  constantly 
undergoing  decomposition.  Vegetation  dries  up,  never  rots. 
Meat  hung  in  the  open  air  and  sun,  cures,  and  is  preserved 
without  salt.  Such  air,  when  inhaled,  gives  a  stimulus  and 
vital  force,  which  can  only  be  given  by  so  pure  an  atmosphere. 
One  having  a  predisposition  to  consumption,  comes  to  this 
valley,  and  is  immediately  relieved. 

The  caution  given  by  Dr.  Bancroft,  of  Denver,  and  approved 
by  Dr.  Pancoast,  of  Philadelphia,  is  not  applicable  to  this  valley, 
though  it  may  be  to  the  higher  regions.  And  if  he  had  lived 
here,  as  he  did  in  Denver,  he  would  not  have  penned  these 
words : 

<  While  earnestly  recommending  the  curative  powers  of 
Colorado,  I  must  stoutly  warn  persons  in  the  advanced  stages  of 
pulmonary  consumption  against  venturing  into  the  rare  air  of 
these  elevated  plains;  because  the  necessity  for  increased  action 
of  the  respiratory  organs  tends  to  hasten,  instead  of  retard,  a 
fatal  termination.  The  same  cause  is  applicable  to  any  form  of 
organic  disease  of  the  heart,  excepting  that  induced  by  asthma/ 

The  Mesilla  valley  is  at  that  mean  elevation  which  will 
induce  proper  activity  of  the  lungs,  yet  its  air  is  not  so  rare  as 
to  produce  the  injurious  effects  mentioned  by  these  physicians, 
and  while  this  is  the  best  location  for  those  suffering  from 
pulmonary  disease,  it  is  even  more  true  of  those  afflicted  with 
asthma,  and  for  those  whose  constitutions  have  been  broken  down 
by  misamatic  fevers. 

CUBATIVE   PROPERTIES    IN   OTHER   DISEASES. 

Diseases  of  the  liver,  spleen,  bronchitis,  phthisis,  dispepsia, 
general  depression  of  the  nervous  system,  are  all  relieved  or 
cured  by  a  residence  here.  The  remarkably  tonic  properties  of 
the  atmosphere  are  beneficial  in  all  these  forms  of  disease,  and 
restoration  to  health  may  be  expected  while  here. 

Many  cases  of  cure  might  be  cited,  but  this  communication 
will  not  allow  it.  Many  persons  have  arrived  here  suffering 
from  a  pre-disposition  to  consumption,  from  asthma  to  such  a 
degree  that  they  could  not  lie  down  to  sleep,  from  nervous  debil- 
ity, and  while  here  have  either  been  greatly  relieved  or  become 


THE   MESILLA   VALLEY.  153 


entirely  free  from  their  distressing  effects.  Some  have  attempted 
to  return  to  their  old  homes,  before  the  cure  was  completed,  and 
have  succumbed  to  renewed  attacks,  or  been  obliged  to  return. 
Any  person  with  a  fair  constitution,  who  settles  in  this  portion 
of  New  Mexico,  stands  a  better  chance  of  enjoying  a  healthful 
life,  and  attaining  his  full  period  of  'three  score  years  and  ten,' 
than  in  any  other  part  of  the  Union.  To  the  young  of  consump- 
tive families,  it  offers  special  inducements.  Here  many  a 
brilliant  and  useful  life,  which  might  be  lost  in  a  less  strengthen- 
ing climate  before  reaching  the  meridian  of  manhood,  may  be 
prolonged  to  a  vigorous  old  age. 

IRRIGATION   AND    PRODUCTIVENESS. 

This  valley  can  all  be  irrigated  from  the  Bio  Grande,  than 
which  no  stream,  not  even  the  Nile,  affords  better  water  for  that 
purpose.  The  descent  of  the  valley,  between  four  and  five  feet 
to  the  mile,  and  flat,  is  the  very  best  form  for  successful  irri- 
gation with  facility.  The  soil  is  a  rich,  sandy  loam,  easily  culti- 
vated, and  abundantly  supplied  with  mineral  salts.  All  the  fruits 
of  the  warmer  temperate  regions  grow  in  wonderful  perfection, 
free  from  fungoid,  and  insect  diseases  and  attacks.  The  yield 
of  whatever  is  planted  is  enormous.  The  seasons  ripen  wheat 
in  June,  and  corn,  beans,  a  fodder  or  root  crop  may  be  taken 
from  the  ground  the  same  year.  Wheat  gives  from  40  to  60 
bushels  to  the  acre,  averaging,  when  well  tilled,  50  bushels  of  a 
quality  that  should  be  classed  XXXI,  and  weighing  65  pounds 
to  the  bushel.  This  land  is  cheap,  even  such  as  have  connections 
with  the  irrigating  ditches,  can  now  be  bought  for  a  dollar  an 
acre.  It  will  not  be  so  cheap  long. 

COLONIES     NEEDED. 

No  place  in  the  <  far  west  '  has  so  many  inducements  for  the 
formation  of  colonies  for  settlement,  as  has  this  valley,  or  where 
labor  will  be  more  surely  rewarded,  and  health  and  long  life 
enjoyed  more  fully.  Colonial  agents  should  look  this  way,  be- 
fore choosing  elsewhere.  All  that  is  needed  is  to  be  better 
known,  and  ready  communication  with  the  populous  portions  of 
the  Union,  to  make  the  Mesilla  valley  as  famous  as  it  is  valuable. 
These  it  will  soon  possess,  by  the  Texas  and  Pacific  Railway. 
Its  merits  can  never  be  written,-  it  must  be  enjoyed  to  be  known 
and  appreciated. 


154  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


THE   WARM   TEMPERATE   BELT. 

Between  the  parallels  of  31  and  33  degrees  lies  the  most 
productive  belt  of  the  continent.  Its  great  staples  are  cotton, 
rice  and  tobacco.  But,  it  also  produces  all  the  fruits  found  further 
north,  and  many  that  will  not  grow  there.  All  the  great  cities 
of  the  Union  are  striving  for  its  commerce,  and  though  but 
partially  improved,  the  railways  and  rivers  groan  with  the 
burden  of  its  crops.  The  fiat  of  commerce  has  gone  forth,  and 
the  pastures  of  Texas,  as  well  as  wood  lands,  farther  east,  are 
demanded  for  cotton,  and  the  thousands  of  cattle  must  feed  on 
drier  grounds  where  cotton  cannot  be  depended  upon  for  want 
of  rains.  In  this  belt  lies  southern  New  Mexico,  on  whose  rich 
grasses  the  herds  of  Texas  may  feed  the  year  round,  and  on 
whose  irrigable  lands  all  the  productions  of  this  favored  belt  can 
be  reared,  by  men  breathing  the  purest  air  on  the  continent. 

The  Mesilla  valley  is  the  brightest  gem  in  this  girdle.  It  is 
seventy  miles  long,  and  contains  280  square  miles  of  land 
between  the  banks  on  either  side.  The  Bio  Grande  winds  its 
way  through  it,  touching  the  hard  land  at  several  points.  At 
these  points  watering  canals  may  be  taken  out,  and,  if  need  be, 
the  whole  stream  used  for  irrigating  the  valley.  Its  soil  is  a 
rich  alluvium  of  river  deposits,  highly  charged  with  mineral 
salts,  and  containing  sufficient  sand  to  make  easy  cultivation. 
Its  climate  is  mild  in  winter.  Frosts  never  impede  the  plow, 
and  the  summer  days,  if  hot,  are  always  followed  by  cool  nights. 
The  clear,  pure  atmosphere  always  permits  the  sun's  rays  to 
penetrate  the  earth,  and  force  forward  vegetation,  but  dry  air 
being  a  bad  conductor  of  heat,  the  shade  is  always  grateful. 
Refreshing  coolness  covers  the  valley  at  night,  and  the  weary 
sleep,  and  are  refreshed. 

AN    AGRICULTURAL,    CENTER. 

The  agricultural  out-look  of  the  Mesilla  valley  is  peculiar, 
and  the  agriculturist  will  here  be  favored  as  at  no  other  point  in 
the  far  west.  His  position  is  exactly  reversed  from  that  of 
his  fellow  in  the  east,  where  competition  every  year  cheapens 
the  market  for  farm  supplies.  Here  the  280  square  miles  have 
but  to  compete  with  an  equal  amount  of  land  scattered  over  the 
breadth  of  the  Territory  where  irrigation  may  be  procured,  and 
without  irrigation  only  grass  and  weeds  grow.  While  population 


THE  MESILLA'  VALLEY.  155 

in  the  mines  and  manufactures,  and  among  the  herders  of  the 
plains,  and  of  non-producing  seekers  of  health  and  pleasure  will 
increase  in  number,  the  consumption  of  food  must  be  increased 
indefinitely,  the  producing  farm  land  will  remain  in  a  fixed  quan- 
tity, and  the  cultivators  of  the  soil  must  forever  monopolize  the 
feeding  of  a  population  destined  to  be  dense,  who  are  engaged  in 
producing  gold,  silver,  lead,  copper,  and  other  valuable  metals 
and  minerals,  and  in  herding  the  thousands  of  sheep  and  cattle 
which  shall  feed  on  the  plains  and  mountain  sides.  Thus  it  is 
that  the  farmer's  chance  for  a  large  return  for  his  investment 
must  grow  better  with  successive  years.  The  prices  he  will 
obtain  can  only  be  limited  by  the  cost  at  which  the  same  products 
can  be  furnished  here  from  elsewhere. 

THE    MOST   FERTILE    DISTRICT   IN   THE   BELT, 

and  also  the  most  fertile  valley  of  the  Bio  Grande,  is  the  Mesilla. 
The  greatest  argument,  used  by  the  friends  of  annexation,  was 
the  fertility  of  the  valley.  Experience  proves  the  truth  of  their 
claim.  The  yield  of  wheat,  which  is  planted  at  any  time  from 
October  to  March,  and  harvested  in  June  and  early  July,  is 
three  and  four  times  as  great  as  any  of  the  states.  Sixty  to  one 
of  seed  is  the  ordinary  yield.  Barley  gives  an  average  of  3000 
pounds  to  the  acre,  and  is  sown  in  January  and  February,  and 
harvested  at  the  same  time  as  wheat.  Corn  averages  as  high  as 
in  Illinois.  Beans,  peas,  oats,  potatoes,  and  sorghum,  grow  as 
well  as  anywhere  in  the  same  latitude. 

FRUITS    AND   GARDENS. 

The  Mesilla  valley  excels  in  its  fruits  and  gardens.  The  <  El 
Paso'  grapes  for  wine  making  are  unsurpassed.  The  juice  is 
heavier  than  from  the  grapes  of  Madeira  or  Portugal,,  as  the 
grapes  remain  on  the  vines  until  they  commence  to  dry,  before 
being  crushed;  ^nd  the  wort  contains  as  much  sugar  as  the 
sweetest  of  Malaga.  A  thousand  gallons  of  pure  grape  juice 
wine  is  manufactured  from  an  acre  of  vineyard,  which  has  cost1 
for  tending  about  twice  as  much  as  an  acre  of  corn.  As  soon  as 
grapes  of  proper  size  shall  be  introduced,  Mesilla  will  become  as 
famous  as  Smyrna  for  its  raisins.  Those  grapes  already  here 
make  an  excellent  raisin  except  in  size. 

Apples  from  the  Northern  States  were  introduced  by  myself 
into  Mesilla  ten  years  ago,  in  the  form  of  root  grafts,  by  mail. 


156  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

Some  of  those  trees  are  now  a  foot  in  diameter,  and  capable  of 
bearing  thirty  bushels  of  apples  to  the  tree.  Apples  often  bear 
fruit  in  three  years  from  the  root  graft,  and  varieties  that  bear 
but  every  alternate  year  in  Pennsylvania,  here  produce  full  crops 
every  year.  The  fruit  is  uncommonly  large,  fair  and  high 
flavored;  but  it  ripens,  as  do  apples  elsewhere  in  the  same  lati- 
tude, considerably  earlier  than  in  Pennsylvania.  No  insect  or 
disease  has  yet  attacked  the  fruit  or  tree.  The  price  is  limited 
by  the  discretion  of  the  seller,  and  must  always  be  high. 
Peaches,  pears  and  quinces  of  superior  qualities  have  been  intro- 
duced from  the  Mexican  Missions.  The  trees  grow  large,  are 
long  lived,  free  from  all  diseases,  and  produce  large  crops.  The 
almond  tree  grows  as  well  as  the  peach,  but  the  fruit  is  some- 
times lost  from  the  late  frosts  in  the  Spring.  Almonds  and  apri- 
cots which  would  not  bloom  earlier  than  the  apple  would  be  a 
great  acquisition  here.  No  doubt  such  will  be  found  or  produced 
from  seed. 

ALL   KINDS    OF   GARDEN    PLANTS    GROW. 

In  the  gardens  everything  which  is  produced  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Washington  can  be  grown,  and  of  enormous  sizes. 
All  the  small  fruits  thrive  and  do  well,  except  the  red  currant. 
Onions  deserve  special  mention  for  their  size  and  mildness  of 
flavor.  Beets  are  a  sure  crop  and  large,  and  it  is  believed  that 

the  manufacture  of  sugar  from  beets  will  yet  be  successful. 

• 

IRRIGATION   AND   WATER. 

Large  watering  canals  could  be  cut  on  each  side  of  the  river, 
and  if  constructed  with  locks  could  be  navigated,  and  excellent 
water  powers  would  be  created  at  suitable  points.  From  these 
canals  water  for  irrigation  could  be  procured,  and  the  entire  val- 
ley watered  most  of  the  year.  The  descent  is  between  four  and 
five  feet  to  the  mile,  which  gives  a  good  fall,  and  enables  the 
water  to  be  carried  to  every  point  of  the  valley  proper.  No  bet- 
ter water  exists  for  irrigating  purposes  than  the  Bio  Grande,  as 
it  is  so  loaded  with  sediment  as  to  leave  a  scale  of  mud  after 
each  application  to  the  ground,  and  is  well  supplied  with  min- 
eral salts;  land  thus  watered  will  always  remain  fertile,  if  a 
small  allowance  of  vegetable  matter  is  annually  supplied. 

Water  may  also   be   obtained   from   the    ground    by  pumps 
driven  to  the  depth  of  less   than   twenty  feet,   and   the   water 


THE   MESILLA   VALLEY.  157 

raised  by  wind  or  other  means,  and  caught  in  reservoirs.  Thus 
orchards,  vineyards  and  gardens  may  be  always  supplied,  with- 
out reference  to  the  state  of  the  river. 

FORAGE   CROPS. 

The  only  forage  crop  yet  reared  is  alfalfa,  which  can  be  cut 
five  times  during  the  summer,  and  gives  a  yield  of  eight  tons  of 
green  feed  to  the  acre,  at  each  cutting.  Land  fully  stocked  and 
watered  freely  requires  no  further  care.  Its  roots  are  large, 
strike  to  great  depths,  and  are  permanent  for  many  years.  For 
dried  fodder,  corn  or  sorghum  planted  in  drills  or  sown  broad- 
cast, and  late  sown  wheat  or  barley,  might  be  used  successfully. 
Large  quantities  of  hay  are  cut  on  the  plains  whenever  a  fair 
supply  of  summer  rains  have  fallen.  Beets,  carrots  and  turnips 
for  feeding  stock  or  household  use,  need  not  be  raised  from  the 
ground  till  required  for  use,  as  the  frosts  do  not  injure  them, 
especially  if  they  are  watered  during  the  winter. 

THE   WINTERS   ARE   USUALLY   DRY. 

Rains  seldom  fall  in  the  valley  between  the  months  of  August 
and  June,  and  snows  exceeding  two  inches  in  depth,  or  lying 
two  days  at  a  time,  have  never  been  known.  The  railroad 
which  will  cross  the  continent  by  this  belt,  will  never  be  im- 
peded by  snows  or  hindered  by  the  vicissitudes  of  the  seasons. 
The  farmer  can  do  so  much  of  his  work  during  the  cool  season, 
that  he  can  afford  to  rest  from  his  labors,  under  the  shade  of  his 
fruit  tree  or  his  grape  vine,  during  the  heat  of  the  day. 

A   RAILROAD   CENTER. 

The  solid  foundation  qf  a  soil  and  adjacent  country  capable  of 
sustaining  population,  being  given,  experience  has  demonstrated 
that  the  growth  of  a  place  must  depend  upon  its  railway  rela- 
tions. Tried  by  that  test,  and  the  future  of  the  Mesilla  valley 
Is  already  fixed.  All  the  mountain  ranges,  which  pass  from  the 
Isthmus  of  Darien  to  the  north,  that  form  the  Cordilleras  of 
Mexico,  and  the  Rocky  and  other  mountain  ranges  further  north, 
are  here  broken  down  to  plateaux,  with  but  one  elevation  above 
5,000,  and  the  water  shed  is  but  4,900  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
ocean.  The  surveys  show  that  the  continent  may  be  here  crossed 
without  a  variation  of  a  degree  of  latitude.  Over  this  divide 
the  Texas  and  Pacific  is  constructing  its  line  to  San  Diego.  The 


158  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

Denver  and  Bio  Grande  narrow  guage  projects  its  line  through 
this  valley.  The  Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe,  or  the  branch 
of  the  Kansas  Pacific,  which  are  heading  towards  New  Mexico, 
will  find  their  interest  to  be  to  unite  and  pass  down  the  Bio 
Grande,  rather  than  pass  over  the  high  continent,  often  snow 
covered,  near  the  35th  parallel.  The  conclusion  seems  inevitable 
of  a  railroad  center  in  this  valley. 

UNOCCUPIED   LAND. 

Not  one-tenth  of  the  valley  is  occupied.  Four  small  grants 
are  located  in  the  valley,  and  the  state  of  Texas  has  also  sold  a 
small  quantity  of  land.  But  to  more  than  three-fourths  of  the 
valley  the  title  is  still  in  the  United  States,  the  state  of  Texas, 
with  the  contingent  right  of  the  Texas  and  Pacific  railway  to 
one-half.  The  other  half  is  subject  to  settlement.  Much  of 
the  granted  lands  are  unoccupied,  or  uncultivated,  and  may  now 
be  purchased  for  less  than  government  prices.  Emigrants  may 
go  much  further  and  fare  worse  than  to  locate  in  this  valley. 
Such  need  but  understand  that  the  demand  for  irrigation  re- 
quires colonial  or  united  action,  and  that  large  communities  will 
do  better  than  small  ones.  Small  farms  for  the  individual  are 
preferable  to  large  ones,  unless  there  be  a  community  of  interest, 
in  all  the  people  of  a  settlement.  Much  of  the  land  can  be 
doubly  cropped  each  year,  so  that  one  acre  in  the  Mesilla  valley 
answers  to  two  in  Colorado.  Every  farm  should  be  cultivated  to 
its  full  capacity,  and  all  the  refuse  returned  to  the  soil.  Every 
acre  should  wear  the  image  of  a  garden,  and  it  will  give  support 
to  a  human  being.  While  agents  for  colonies  are  running  hither 
and  thither  seeking  locations,  they  should  look  to  the  valley 
lying  in  this  favored  climate,  where  lands  are  cheap,  on  the  line 
of  the  Texas  and  Pacific  railway,  and  whose  track  will  reach  it 
before  the  hardy  emigrant  can  possibly  prepare  for  the  advent. 
Time  in  this  case  is  most  surely  money  in  the  pockets  of  the  first 
comers. 

EARLY   TIMES. 

For  centuries  past  stock-raising  has  been  recognized  as  one  of 
the  great  industries  of  New  Mexico.  When  the  gold  discoveries 
drew  thousands  of  men  to  California,  New  Mexico  had  the  droves 
of  cattle  and  flocks  of  sheep  to  nearly  supply  the  prospectors 
with  meats.  But  owing  to  the  inroads  and  pillages  of  the  Indians 
in  southern  New  Mexico,  thousands  of  cattle,  sheep  and 


THE    MESIKLA   VALLEY.  159 


horses  were  destroyed,  and  most  persons  were  deterred  from 
engaging  in  the  business.  The  flocks  and  herds  could  only  be 
kept  in  proximity  to  the  settlements,  whence  immediate  pursuit 
could  be  given  whenever  the  stock  was  raided  upon,  and  thus 
some  could  be  saved,  but  often  with  large  losses.  War  has  been 
the  normal  condition  between  the  Mexican  and  Indians;  stock  was 
the  object  sought  by  the  Indian,  and  defended  by  the  Mexican. 
These  wars  and  depredations  narrowed  the  limits  of  the  stock 
districts  to  the  oldest  and  strongest  settlements,  which  were  then 
near  the  35th  parallel,  and  southern  New  Mexico,  though  often 
looked  at  with  anxious  eyes,  was  by  reason  of  the  great  number 
of  Indians  infesting  it,  given  up  to  them.  The  dreaded  <  Jour- 
ney of  the  Dead'  separated  the  Mesilla  valley  from  the  settle- 
ments above,  and  on  either  side  lay  regions  unexplored,  yet 
roamed  over  by  men  worse  than  the  Bedouins  of  Arabia  and 
Egypt,  the  terror  and  dread  of  all,  wh'om  to  meet  was  the  signal 
for  a  deadly  fight.  Happily  the  successions  of  the  descendants 
of  Europe  have  increased  faster  than  the  Indians,  and  their 
weapons  of  warfare  more  effective,  till  now  comparative  safety 
prevails,  and  the  rich  pastures  of  southern  New  Mexico  are  open 
to  flocks  and  herds. 

,       PASTURES   EAST   OF   THE   RIO    GRANDE. 

On  the  east  of  the  Rio  Grande,  near  the  35th  parallel,  the 
range  has  broken  down  to  a  high  plateau,  with  several  isolated 
ranges,  one  of  which,  the  white  mountain,  near  Fort  Stanton, 
rises  to  nearly  a  hight  of  8,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ocean. 
This  plateau  and  the  mountain  sides  are  covered  with  fine,  rich 
grasses,  on  \\hich  cattle  and  sheep  become  remarkably  fat  in 
summer,  and  which  dries  to  a  hay  in  early  autumn,  and  supplies 
the  herds  with  winter  food. 

WATERING   PLACES. 

These  mountain  ranges  are  the  source  of  numerous  springs, 
which  form  small  rivulets,  some  of  which  sink  after  running  a 
short  distance ;  others  find  their  way  into  the  Rio  Grande  or 
Pecos,  forming  mill-streams  of  more  or  less  magnitude.  From 
these  the  cattle  and  sheep  may  feed  to  the  distance  of  several 
miles,  returning  as  often  as  they  require  drink.  At  many 
places  wet  grounds  exist,  where  water  may  be  procured  in  ex- 
cavations and  wells,  and  can  be  saved  in  tanks  for  large  herds  of 


160  BBEVOOBT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


cattle.  These  will  also  be  utilized,  and  thus  Dew  pastures  be 
added. 

CLIMATIC   LOCATION. 

In  the  Atlantic  is  the  great  whirl  which  causes  the  Gulf 
Stream,  and  collects  the  floating  trees  and  seaweeds  in  the  sea 
of  Saragossa.  A  similar  whirl  exists  in  the  Pacific  ocean.  These 
whirls,  with  centers  about  equally  distant  from  southern  New 
Mexico,  differently  affect  our  climate.  Their  foci  are  oscillated 
north  and  south  as  the  sun  passes  from  solstice  to  solstice.  In 
summer  the  winds  in  the  Atlantic  whirl  drives  the  rain  belt  over 
us,  and  gives  to  New  Mexico  its  rains,  which  produce  our  grasses, 
while  the  winds  of  the  Pacific  whirl  are  confined  to  California, 
and  the  rains  are  pouring  over  the  eastern  coast  of  Asia.  In 
winter  the  Atlantic  whirl  is  withdrawn,  and  the  Pacific  winds, 
robbed  of  their  moisture  by  the  Sierras  and  mountains  to  the 
northwest,  reach  us  arid  and  rainless.  Thus  the  dry  grasses 
retain  their  nutritious  properties,  till  they  grow  anew. 

THE    VALLEY    OF    THE   PECOS. 

The  Pecos,  which  rises  in  the  high  mountains  northeast  of 
Santa  Fe,  flows  east  and  south  through  a  valley  of  its  own,  and 
enters  the  Rio  Grande  in  Texas.  On  this  stream  are  many  val- 
uable places  where  fine  tracts  of  land  may  be  irrigated;  but  the 
valley  is  also  the  center  of  the  best  pasture  lands  in  New  Mexico, 
which  will  in  a  few  years  be  purchased  and  held  as  private 
property,  and  then  those  who  do  not  own  their  watering  grounds 
must  be  driven  out  with  their  herds.  The  best  portions  of  this 
river  are  in  southern  New  Mexico. 

THE   STAKED   PLAIN. 

Has  generally  been  supposed  to  be  a  desert  region,  but  the 
latest  explorations  demonstrate  that  it  is  an  immense  grassy  plat- 
eaUj  with  water  found  in  pools  and  tanks,  wet  meadows  and  small 
springs,  which  flow  but  short  distances,  and  that  most  of  this  plain 
is  good  pasture  land. 

PASTUBES    WEST    OF    THE   BIO   GBANDE. 

South  of  the  Gila  in  New  Mexico,  there  is  only  a  bifurcated 
range  of  mountains,  Cooke's  Peak  forming  the  eastern  branch, 
and  the  Burro  the  western,  between  which  flows  the  Mimbres,  a 
beautiful  mill  stream,  and  which  will  form  excellent  powers  for 
manufacturing  purposes,  and  irrigate  most  of  the  river  bottom 


THE   MESILLA   VALLEY.  161 


lands.  These  ranges  also  give  many  small  springs,  from  which 
large  herds  can  procure  water  the  year  through.  They  rise  from 
a  plateau  elevated  from  4,700  to  6,000  feet  above  the  ocean,  and 
mountains  and  plains  are  coated  with  excellent  grasses.  Prof. 
Maury,  who  traveled  over  this  Territory  in  1858,  says:  <  The  sun 
never  shown  upon  a  finer  grazing  country  than  upon  the  three 
hundred  miles  west  of  the  Bio  Grande.  The  traveler  has  before 
him,  throughout  the  entire  distance,  a  sea  of  grass,  whose  nutri- 
cious  qualities  have  no  equal,  and  the  stock  raiser  in  January 
sees  his  cattle  in  better  condition  than  our  eastern  farmer  his 
stall  fed  ox.' 

On  the  7th  of  August,  1872,  while  accompanying  the  explor- 
ing party  on  the  Texas  and  Pacific  railway,  when  we  were  pass- 
ing by  Cooke's  Peak,  and  after  I  had  ridden  about  twenty  miles, 
I  made  this  entry  in  my  journal:  «  To-day  I  have  passed  most 
of  the  time  over  plains  of  the  black  grama,  one  of  the  most 
nutritious  of  the  perennial  grasses  of  this  region.  It  is  now 
growing  rapidly  under  the  influence  of  the  late  rains,  and  mill- 
ions of  cattle  could  be  pastured  here  throughout  the  year.' 
Similar  entries  are  made  on  other  days,  and  for  other  places,  till 
we,passed  into  Arizona.  In  most  of  these  meadows  were  found 
pools  of  good,  sweet  water,  and  judging  from  the  surface  indica- 
tions, it  appeared  evident  that  water  in  abundance  from  common 
wells  could  be  readily  procured. 

COUNTLESS    HERDS   CAN   FEED   HERE. 

The  lands  which  cannot  be  irrigated  produce  these  rich 
grasses,  on  which  countless  herds  of  cattle,  sheep  and  horses 
may  pasture  the  year  round,  requiring  no  other  feed  or  shelter 
than  such  as  they  can  find  in  their  ranges,  and  no  care  but  the 
herdsman  to  keep  them  together.  These  lands  are  never  cov- 
ered by  snows  wThich  lie  for  two  days,  or  that  cover  the  grass 
from  the  bite  of  the  stock.  The  perennial  grasses  are  always 
green  at  the  bottom,  and  the  tops  are  hay,  as  are  also  the  annual 
grasses  which  spring  up  with  the  summer  rains,  and  fill  all  the 
ground  not  occupied  by  the  perennials. 

HEALTH   OF   STOCK. 

The  free,  pure  air  of  this  entire  region  allows  no  epidemi 
disease  to  arise,  or  when  disease  is  introduced,  to  become  injur- 
iously epidemic.     When  the  epizooty  passed  over  this  region  in 

11 


162  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

the  spring  of  1873,  the  horses  suffered  but  slightly  from  its 
effects.  The  herds  and  flocks  need  not  lie  on  the  same  ground 
two  nights  in  succession,  and  before  they  require  to  reoccupy  it, 
all  miasmatic  exhalations  will  have  disappeared. 

PROFITS    OF   STOCK-RAISING. 

Without  enlarging  on  the  details  of  the  profits  of  stock-rais- 
ing in  southern  New  Mexico,  or  specifying  cases,  a  few  data 
from  which  deductions  may  be  made  will  alone  be  given.  Each 
cow  between 'two  and  fifteen  years  of  age  may  be  expected  to 
drop  a  calf,  and  the  twins  will  equal  the  percentage  of  calves 
which  will  die,  as  none  perish  from  inclemency  of  weather. 
Hence  each  hundred  cows  will  produce  and  rear  one  hun- 
dred calves,  one-half  of  which  will  also  have  a  calf  at  the  end  of 
the  second  year.  The  steers  will  more  than  pay  all  expenses  of 
herding  and  marketing,  and  the  heifers  are  clear  gain. 

With  sheep  the  increase  is  still  greater.  Each  ewe  of  one 
year  will  drop  a  lamb,  and  the  twins  will  more  than  equal  the 
deaths  of  the  entire  flock  for  the  year.  Hence  the  man  who 
commences  the  year  with  one  thousand  ewes,  will  at  the  end  of 
the  year  have  2,000  sheep,  of  which  1,500  will  be  ewes,  and  500 
wethers  of  one  year,  to  be  sold.  At  the  end  of  the  second  year 
his  flock  will  be  3,000,  of  which  2,250  will  be  ewes,  and  750 
wethers  for  market,  and  at  the  end  of  the  third  year  he  finds 
himself  with  a  flock  of  3,375  ewes  and  1,125  wethers  for  market. 
Thus  after  selling  1,875  wethers,  he  has  3,375  ewes  left,  as  the 
produce  of  his  1,000  ewes  in  three  years. 

The  better  the  quality  of  the  stock,  the  greater  the  income 
from  it.  From  these  data  each  one  can  easily  calculate  the 
profits." 


CONCLUSION. 

The  territorial  archives  and  records  show  that  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  Territory  is  covered  by  numerous  large  and  small 
grants,  made  by  the  Spanish  and  Mexican  governments,  long 
prior  to  the  American  occupation  of  this  'acquired  Territory  in 
the  year  1846,  which  grants  are  recognized  as  good  and  valid 
against  the  public  domain,  under  the  treaties  of  1 848  and  1853  with 
Mexico,  and  vary  in  size  and  extent  from  1000  to  500,000  acres 


CONCLUSION.  163 


and  upwards,  and  were  made  with  a  view  to  embrace  agricul- 
tural, pastoral,  wood  and  timbered  lands,  and  as  one  inducement 
to  extend  the  frontier  as  far  as  possible,  so  as  to  protect  the 
interior  settlements.  Minerals  of  all  kinds,  such  as  gold-bearing 
quartz,  copper,  iron,  silver,  lead,  etc.,  including  placers,  abound 
as  a  general  thing  throughout  the  hilly  and  mountainous  part  of 
the  Territory,  and  are  claimed,  go  with,  and  belong  to  the  grants 
covering  them.  The  foot-hills  and  lower  lands  are  covered  with 
natural  grasses  in  variety,  such  as  the  celebrated  blackhead 
grama,  grama  chino,  buffalo  and  river-bottom  grasses.  The  first 
is  the  most  extensive,  and  is  cut  and  cured  in  its  wild  state, 
making  the  choicest  of  hay,  and  is  admitted  to  be  far  superior 
to  timothy,  furnishing  green  pasture  in  summer,  and  hay  in 
winter.  Cattle,  horses  and  sheep  live  and  keep  fat  upon  it  the 
year  round,  without  being  sheltered  or  requiring  extra  food, 
the  climate  being  considered  as  fine  as  there  is  on  the  continent. 

In  a  majority  of  cases  the  grant  lands  are  held  by  the  heirs 
and  legal  representatives  of  the  original  grantees/  all  natives  of 
the  country.  For  a  stranger  to  judiciously  and  successfully 
purchase  from  them  it  is  necessary  to  operate  through  such 
parties  here  as  have  a  knowledge  of  the  country,  and  of  the 
people  and  their  language — the  Spanish,  and  who  has  made  these 
land  grants  a  study,  and  understands  the  land  laws  and  regula- 
tions, and  the  nature  and  character  of  the  grants.  The  grant 
titles  are  equal,  if  not  superior,  to  the  United  States  land 
patents. 

Traveling  south-west  from  Santa  Fe,  the  valley  of  the  Bio 
Grande  del  Norte  is  reached  in  a  distance  of  25  miles,  and  is 
more  than  1500  feet  lower  than  Santa  Fe,  where  one  comes  in 
contact  with  a  portion  of  the  agricultural  lands ;  extensive 
vineyards  which  bear  a  profuse  and  delicious  grape,  large  quan- 
tities of  which  are  manufactured  into  an  excellent  wine.  To- 
gether with  the  grape,  corn,  wheat,  oats,  etc.,  are  cultivated  for 
a  distance  of  350  miles  or  more  down  the  valley  of  the  Bio 
Grande,  at  intervals,  and  wherever  there  are  towns  and  settle- 
ments. 

Eastward,  northeastward  and  south  is  an  extensive  pastoral 
country,  reaching  as  it  were  to  the  very  borders  of  Texas  and 
Mexico.  The  Pecos  river,  which  has  its  source  in  the  moun- 
tains within  thirty  miles  of  Santa  Fe",  in  a  northeasterly 
direction,  winds  its  way  southeasterly,  and  waters,  together 


164  BREVOOKT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

with  its  tributaries,  an  immense  country,  pastoral  and  agricul- 
tural, where,  as  in  the  Rio  Grande  valley,  the  grape  is  success- 
fuUy  raised  on  the  lower  lands,  as  well  as  other  crops  of  corn, 
wheat,  etc.,  with  vegetables  of  every  kind  and  description. 

The  lower  Pecos  and  Bio  Grande  valley  country  will  some 
day,  like  southern  California,  boast  of  their  grape-growing  and 
wine-making  capacity  and  facilities.  North,  northwest  and 
west,  the  country  is  more  elevated  and  mountainous,  still 
affording  a  remarkably  fine  climate,  immense  stock-ranges  with 
their  natural  grasses  and  shelters,  and  from  which  comes  much 
of  the  fat  beef  and  mutton  which  supplies  Santa  Fe  and  its 
surroundings.  This  region,  as  a  general  thing  is  well  timbered, 
well  wooded,  and  well  watered.  The  valleys  are  not  so  exten- 
sive in  width  (leaving  out  the  Bio  Grande)  on  this,  the  Atlantic 
slope,  but  are  extremely  rich  and  fertile,  too  elevated  for  the 
grape,  yet  admirably  adapted  to  the  potato,  and  an  exceedingly 
fine  article  of  wheat  and  barley. 

The  region  known  as  the  Tierra  Aniarilla,  Chama  river  and 
its  tributaries,  the  Puerco  and  Jemez  rivers,  with  their  numerous 
tributaries,  are  all  noted  regions  for  pastoral  capacity,  and  for 
large  numbers  of  sheep  and  cattle.  Thousands  upon  thousands 
of  the  former  winter  in  many  of  these  localities,  and  are  found 
to  be  fat  and  healthy  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  without  any  food 
or  shelter  except  what  nature  provides.  The  mountains  and 
foot-hills  bear  ample  evidence  of  fine  pine  timber,  pinon  and 
cedar  forests,  together  with  minerals.  The  elevated  or  table- 
lands are  covered  to  a  fair  extent  with  pinon  and  cedar  tree 
groves,  which  also  dot  the  extensive  gently-rolling  prairie 
country  for  many  miles  north,  south,  east  and  west. 

In  cultivating  the  land,  irrigation  has  to  be  depended  upon. 
In  many  localities,  however,  near  the  base  of  mountains,  fine 
crops  are  raised  without  irrigation,  upon  lands  which  are  called 
temporal.  On  a  large  portion  of  the  prairie  country  there  is  a 
scarcity  of  water  for  irrigating  purposes,  consequently  but  little 
farming  is  done  outside  the  valleys  which  contain  living  streams. 
This  does  not,  however,  go  to  prove  that  it  will  always  remain 
so,  for  that  portion  of  the  country  can,  and  eventually  will,  be 
utilized  by  Artesian  boring,  wind-mill  power,  and  ordinary 
wells,  as  also  by  building  tanks,  or  throwing  up  artificial  em- 
bankments at  the  base  of  long  slopes,  thereby  collecting  the 
drainage  of  many  miles  in  circumference  during  the  rainy 


CONCLUSION.  165 


season,  which  usually  commences  between  the  15th  and  last 
days  of  June,  raining  at  intervals,  and  lasting  until  August,  and 
sometimes  September,  after  which  we  usually  have  from  two  to 
four  months  of  most  delightful  Indian  summer-like  weather. 

During  the  winter,  as  a  general  occurrence,  we  have  occasional 
rains  in  the  lower,  and  light  snows  on  the  middle  altitudes,  with 
heavy  snows  in  the  elevated  and  high  mountain  ranges,  the 
molting  of  which  feeds  the  streams  up  to  the  time  of  the  fall  of 
rain.  In  many  localities,  especially  on  the  rolling  prairies  and 
plains,  are  found  natural  basins  which  are  susceptible  of  being 
made  to  hold  water  at  a  small  expense  (collected  from  the  rains) 
for  time  indefinite.  Again  there  are  numerous  lakes  of  water, 
both  fresh  and  salt,  distributed  over  a  large  area  of  country,  all 
of  which  can  be  utilized  for  agricultural  and  pastoral  purposes. 

In  the  building  of  houses,  for  city  or  rancho,  the  ordinary 
sun-dried  adobe,  made  of  common  earth,  is  used,  and  costs  from 
$5.00  to  $7.50  per  1000—2,500  of  which  will  build  a  warm  15x20 
feet  18  inches  thick  wall,  10  feet  high,  put  up  in  mud  mortar, 
and  covered  with  earth,  after  the  fashion  of  the  country. 

Colonies  of  50  families,  and  upwards,  can  find  very  desirable 
locations  in  the  shape  of  land  grants,  which  can  still  be  purchased 
at  from  25  cents  to  50  cents  per  acre.  At  some  points  there  are 
large,  valuable  grants  located  on  and  near  the  line  of  anticipated 
railroads,  which  embrace  extensive  forests  of  pine,  saw  and  tie 
timber,  which  will  eventually,  or  in  a  very  few  years,  sell  for 
tenfold  the  amount  paid  in  the  first  instance  for  the  entire  grant 
and  possessions. 

True,  we  have  at  this  date  what  would  seem  free  and  exten- 
sive grazing  regions;  so  it  was  in  California  twenty  years  since; 
but  what  is  there  to-day?  The  common  pasture  lands  of  that 
day  in  California,  worth  then  10  to  25  cents  per%cre,  and  thought 
to  be  high  at  that  price,  and  unfit  for  any  other  purpose  but 
grazing,  now  rent  at  that  price  per  acre,  year  after  year,  for 
pastoral  purposes  alone,  and  are  to-day  worth  from  $5.00  to 
$50.00  per  acre  in  many  instances,  and  are  in  many  localities  in 
a  high  state  of  cultivation  by  the  simple  process  of  fallow  plow- 
ing. What  California  was  twenty  years  ago, '  New  Mexico  is  to- 
day, and  those  who  now  secure  their  land  grant,  large  or  small,  and 
stock  it  with  sheep  and  cattle,  or  even  let  it  remain  unstocked 
a  few  years,  will  realize  their  every  hope,  and  live  in  ease  and 
comfort  and  luxury  in  after  years  from  their  present  investments. 


166  BKEVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

Stock-raising  labor  is  here  remarkably  cheap.  For  instance: 
a  native  boy  who  has  been  reared  from  infancy  as  it  were,  with 
the  sheep  and  goat  herd,  will  with  the  assistance  of  two  or  three 
native  shepherd  dogs,  attend  a  flock  of  500  to  2000  sheep,  at  an 
expense  of  $5.00  to  $7.00  per  month,  not  including  his  board, 
which  consists  generally  of  goat  milk,  and  coarse  bread  and 
beans. 

As  to  railroads,  the  prospect  is,  indeed,  most  flattering.  The 
Texas  Pacific  will  pass  along  the  line  of  the  32d  parallel,  and  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  along  the  line  of  the  35th,  about  18  miles 
south  of  Santa  Fe,  en  route  to  the  Pacific  coast.  The  Atchison, 
Topeka  and  Santa  Fe  road  will  pass  through  southern  Colorado 
into  New  Mexico,  and  after  reaching  the  Cimarron  will  probably 
ascend  that  river,  and  cross  over  into  the  Taos  valley,  crossing 
the  Bio  Grande  del  Norte  north  of  Santa  Fe  some  70  miles, 
making  a  detour  northwesterly,  after  reaching  Abiquin,  50  miles 
from  Santa  Fe,  with  a  view  to  tap  and  pass  through  the  immense 
agricultural,  pastoral,  mineral  and  timbered  region  of  the  cele- 
brated San  Juan  river  country,  the  first  waters  of  which  are 
about  120  miles  northwest  of  Santa  Fe,  and  which  belong  to  the 
Pacific  slope. 

As  we  have  at  considerable  length  spoken  of  the  Mesilla 
valley  in  extreme  southern  New  Mexico,  we  will  mention  now 
somewhat  in  extenso  extreme  northern  New  Mexico,  on  the 
San  Juan  river.  The  region  of  country  drained  by  the  San  Juan 
and  a  large  number  of  tributaries  to  that  stream,  we  assert,  from 
personal  observation,  to  be  as  fine  as  there  is  on  the  continent, 
with  a  capacity  sufficient  to  give  homes  to  a  population  equal  to 
that  of  the  whole  Territory,  embracing,  as  it  does,  all  that  nature 
could  do  for  scenery,  broad  and  fertile  valleys,  from  one  to 
twenty-five  miles  wide,  with  crystal  waters  in  superabundance, 
stocked  with  the  favorite  mountain  trout  peculiar  to  that 
region,  with  a  forest  of  pine  timber,  from  which  can  be  selected 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  pines  that  show  a  stump  that  will 
measure  24  to  40  inches  and  upwards;  millions  of  acres  of 
natural  grasses,  peculiar  to  this  country  and  climate,  in  many 
places  interspersed  with  large  patches  of  wild  oats,  stirrup-high, 
with  water-power,  from  appearances  sufficient  to  run  the 
machinery  of  the  world.  This  super-extraordinary  country, 
which  nature  seems  to  have  favored  to  extremes,  is  all  that  is 
desirable,  and  which  is  located  immediately  south  and  west  of 


CONCLUSION.  167 


the  immensely  high  mountain  range,  is  claimed  and  occupied 
by  numerous  bands  of  Ute  Indians,  of  good  conduct  generally, 
occupying  on  an  average  each  about  34  miles  square  of  territory. 
The  cry  now  arising  against  the  occupation  and  monopoly  of  this 
magnificent  country,  extending  to  Grand  river,  in  the  territories 
of  Utah  and  Colorado,  and  far  beyond,  by  the  Ute  Indians,  will 
cause,  and  indeed  will  force  the  government  to  remove  them  to 
a  proper  sized  reservation,  or  the  flow  of  immigration  will 
drive  them  from  this  immense  country  lying  contiguous  to 
what  are  known  as  the  San  Juan  river  mines.  The  region 
embracing  the  mountains  and  mineral  part  just  ceded  by  the 
Utes  to  the  government  of  upwards  of  2,000,000  of  acres,  as  far 
as  prospected,  lies  in  Colorado,  and  shows  masses  of  mineral 
gold,  silver  and  copper  of  fabulous  richness  and  extent,  which 
is  now  attracting  an  unusually  large  immigration. 

Hundreds,  yes  thousands  of  for  tune -seekers  are  to-day  wend- 
ing their  way  there,  by  the  different  routes  leading  to  this  new 
paradise  and  mass  of  wealth,  from  the  eastern  states.  Their 
routes  are  mainly  from  Denver,  Pueblo  and  Trinidad,  in  Colo- 
rado, via  the  Sangre  de  Christo,  and  other  passes  in  that  vicinity, 
to  La  Loma  and  Bio  Grande  city,  thence  up  the  Bio  Grande  del 
Norte  and  over  the  summit,  which  is  12,000  to  14,000  feet  above 
the  ocean,  into  Baker's  and  Los  Animas  Parks;  also  via  Conejos, 
over  a  small  mountain  range  to  Tierra  Amarilla,  Elbert  and 
Hermosillo,  on  the  south  side  of  the  high  range  just  mentioned; 
also  down  the  San  Luis  Park  and  valley  of  the  Bio  Grande  from 
La  Loma  and  Conejos;  or,  as  soon  as  the  Sangre  de  Christo  Pass 
has  been  traveled,  via  Ojo  Caliente,  Abiquin  and  Tierra  Ama- 
rilla, New  Mexico,  into  the  San  Juan  river  country  proper, 
reaching  Las  Animas  river  at  the  new  towns  of  Elbert  and 
Hermosillo,  from  whence  it  is  but  33  miles  to  the  Little  Giant 
mine,  and  is  accessible  the  year  round,  generally,  when  by  Del 
Norte  City  and  summit  they  are  only  accessible  for  about  four  or 
five  months  in  the  year.  Another  and  far  preferable  route  which 
will  in  time  be  appreciated  and  extensively  traveled  in  prefer- 
ence to  any  other,  will  be  from  Puebl©  or  Trinidad,  in  Colorado, 
to  Cimarron,  via  Moreno  mines,  Taos  valley  and  Cieneguilla,  in 
New  Mexico,  at  which  named  points  the  government  is  expend- 
ing a  congressional  appropriation  of  $25,000  in  building  suitable 
bridges  across  the  Bio  Grande,  and  grading  a  military  road 
between  Taos  and  Bio  Arriba  counties,  to  Embudo,  Plaza 


168  BKEVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

Alcalde,  and  the  pueblo  of  San  Juan,  re-crossing  the  Rio  Grande 
at  this  point,  and  proceeding  to  Abiquin,  etc. 

In  the  valley  of  Taos  large  quantities  of  wheat  are  manu- 
factured into  a  superior  article  of  flour.  Oats,  corn  and  vege- 
tables are  also  cultivated.  Here  the  emigrant  can  get  his  supply 
of  No.  1  flour  at  about  $4.00  per  100  pounds,  and  at  Plaza 
Alcalde  and  the  pueblo  of  San  Juan  any  amount  of  grains,  and 
pass  on  through  a  beautiful  fertile  country,  reaching  the  new 
towns  of  Elbert  and  Hermosillo  (at  the  base  and  south  side  of 
the  high  range,)  laid  out  on  the  banks  of  the  Animas  river.  Here 
one  is  struck  with  the  grandeur  of  the  scenery,  the  immense 
water  power,  the  beautiful  broad  valley  below,  and  at  once  is 
impressed  with  the  future  importance  of  these  localities  as 
proper  sites  for  immense  and  numberless  reduction  works, 
which  must  very  soon  send  up  their  dense  clouds  of  black  smoke 
in  token  of  success. 

In  this  vicinity,  but  a  few  miles  distant,  have  been  discovered 
and  located  several  very  heavy  veins  of  apparently  a  superior 
article  of  coal*  Midway  between  Tierra  Amarilla,  Elbert  and 
Hermosillo,  near  one  bank  of  the  San  Juan  river,  are  the  famous 
Pagosa  boiling  sulphur  springs,  now  in  Colorado  (admirably 
located  by  nature  in  a  spot  especially  adapted  for  the  building 
of  a  large  city,)  whose  waters  will  cure  all  diseases  of  the  human 
system,  throwing  out  a  sufficiency  of  water  for  a  thousand  health- 
giving  baths  per  hour. 

In  the  matter  of  railroads,  before  spoken  of,  we  mention  here 
the  Denver  and  Bio  Grande  railroad,  now  within  about  300 
miles  (over  the  route  it  is  supposed  to  pass)  from  Santa  Fe,  and 
designed  to  pass  through  the  San  Luis  Park  country,  an  elevated 
valley  formation,  on  the  upper  Rio  Grande,  in  a  northerly 
direction  from  Santa  Fe,  following  down  the  Rio  Grande  to  or 
near  Santa  Fe,  cutting  the  line  of  the  proposed  Atchison,  Topeka 
and  Santa  Fe,  Atlantic  and  Pacific,  and  Texas  Pacific  railroads, 
and  leaving  New  Mexico  at  El  Paso,  Mexico,  a  point  350  miles 
down  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  from  Santa  Fe,  and  passing 
into  the  Mexican  republic,  through  the  city  of  Chihuahua,  and 
on  through  other  cities  and  states  to  the  city  of  Mexico. 

In  conclusion,  we  desire  to  say  that  it  has  here  been  our  aim 
to  bring  into  at  least  partial  light  the  geographical  position  and 
character  of  New  Mexico,  and  the  superior  natural  advantages 
which  she  possesses,  and  which  she  offers  with  extended  arms 


CONCLUSION.  169 


open  to  receive  and  embrace  in   welcome  all  who  may  choose  to 
cast  their  lot  with  ours.  i*N8QCrpft  Library 

First — For  the  peculiarly  charming  climate,  free  as  it  is  from 
all  and  every  epidemic,  rnild,  and  yet  invigorating,  and  singu- 
larly pure  and  pleasant  and  salubrious. 

Second — For  her  millions  of  tons  of  hidden  treasure  in  the 
shape  of  gold,  silver,  cinnabar,  copper,  iron,  lead,  and  coal, 
which  lie  buried  within  the  bosoms  of  her  majestic  mountains, 
which  stand  guarded  by  enormous  armies  of  gigantic  pines  and 
other  forest  kings,  and  constituting  forests  of  incalculable  worth 
and  value,  whose  heads  tower  high  above  the  average  plain, 
reaching  to  the  very  heavens,  as  it  were. 

Third — For  her  vast  pastoral  domain,  which  is  unequaled  by 
that  of  any  territory  or  state  in  the  American  Union,  and  \vhose 
sweet  nutritious  grasses,  fanned  by  the  purest  air,  and  moistened 
by  the  virgin  waters,  emanating  from  the  snow-capped  ranges, 
and  borne  thence  with  the  vaporous  floating  clouds,  and  then 
descending  with  all  their  freshening  purity.  The  valley,  the 
plain,  and  the  mountain  alike  keep  the  thousands  of  herds  of 
cattle  and  sheep  in  a  state  of  contentment,  causing  them  to  thrive 
and  be  always  in  marketable  condition  from  season  to  season, 
and  from  year  to  year,  and  come  to  maturity  earlier,  and  be 
more  prolific — all  without  extra  care  or  extra  food. 

Fourth — For  the  immense  and  valuable  water  powers  coming 
from  her  massive  mountains  and  their  towering  peaks,  sufficient 
to  run  the  machinery  of  the  world,  apart  from  the  amounts 
which  will  some  day  be  required  for  extensive  wool  factories, 
and  numberless  quartz  mills  and  stack  furnaces,  and  last,  not 
least,  the  broad  and  inviting  field  of  adventure,  here  open  and 
offered  to  the  capitalist  and  the  enterprising,  unequaled  any- 
where upon  the  continent,  from  whose .  capital  or  labor  greater 
results  in  actual  profits  will  accrue,  with  less  risk  and  care  than 
are  obtained  in  the  general,  ordinary  routine  of  successful  busi- 
ness in  the  commercial  cities  of  the  Union — investments  which 
will  yield  eighty  per  centum  compound  interest,  and  which 
really  only  require  two  months  of  close  attention  out  of  the 
twelve.  In  this  we  refer  to  the  rearing  of  cattle  and  sheep? 
and  more  particularly  the  latter,  and  to  the  one  month  at  lamb- 
ing, and  the  one  month  at  shearing  time. 

Fifth — For  her  lands  in  large  bodies,  whose  titles,  under 
grants  from  the  former  governments  of  the  country,  are  equal 


170  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 

to  the  United  States  land  patents,  and  which  can  now  be  pur- 
chased at  mere  nominal  prices,  as  it  were,  but  which  must  in  a 
very  few  years  command  fabulous  prices  for  pastoral  purposes 
alone.  If  we  examine  the  industrial  history  of  California  for 
the  past  quarter  century,  we  have  an  illustrative  idea  of  what 
New  Mexico  will  be  a  few  years  hence. 

We  repeat,  no  Territory  or  State  offers  such  inducements  as 
New  Mexico;  for  the  investment — the  safe  and  profitable  invest- 
ment— of  capital,  though  its  amount  be  millions  of  dollars, 
chiefly  in  landed  estates. 

If  we  have  failed  to  bring  to  light  and  attention  at  least  a 
few  of  the  many  advantages  our  Territory  possesses  and  offers, 
in  the  foregoing  pages,  it  has  been  the  fault  of  the  head  and 
not  of  the  heart.  And  here  we  leave  the  subject,  to  be  renewed 
at  an  early  day,  we  trust,  by  a  more  able,  but  not  less  impartial 
pen  than  ours. 


A    WORD    SPECIAL. 


Inasmuch  as  in  New  Mexico  we  have  not  as  yet  the  means 
of  general  and  facile  conveyance  off  the  principal  thoroughfares, 
and  travel  conveyance  may  not  always  be  readily  procured  for 
examining  particular  parts  of  the  country,  we  suggest  to  parties 
coming  into  the  Territory  with  a  view  of  seeing  and  investing 
in  it,  that  they  procure  at  the  terminus  of  the  railroads  a  light 
wagon  and  a  pair  of  animals,  to  better  facilitate  their  move- 
ments in  examining  such  parts  of  the  country  as  they  may 
desire  to  see,  after  which,  sale  can  always  be  made  of  the  outfit, 
such  being  exceedingly  scarce.  It  is  with  great  difficulty  that 
a  team  and  wagon  can  be  procured  here  at  from  $5  to  $6  per 
day,  if  at  all. 

Distance  from  terminus  of  railroads  to  Santa  Fe,  about  three 
hundred  miles;  coach  fare,  twenty  cents  per  mile;  meals,  one 
dollar  each,  extra.  Coaches  leave  and  arrive  daily  from  termi- 
nus of  railroads;  also  a  weekly  coach  from  Santa  Fe  to  El  Paso 
and  Silver  City — fare  same  as  eastern  line,  with  a  daily  mail — 
balance  of  week  days  mail  goes  daily  on  "  buckboard." 

On  other  routes  the  mails  are  weekly  and  semi-weekly, 
carried  generally  on  horseback. 


NEW   MEXICO. 


AFTER  the  manuscript  of  this  work  had  been  placed  in  the 
hands  of  the  printer,  and  the  matter  put  in  type,  the  following 
from  the  Washington  correspondent  of  the  Alta  California,  C.  A. 
WETMORE,  and  published  in  its  issue  of  June  5r  1874,  came  to 
our  notice,  and  it  is  inserted  here  as  containing  additional  intel- 
legence  from  an  undeniable  source,  and  we  believe  will  be  read 
with  interest  by  parties  desiring  further  information  of  the 
Territory  of  New  Mexico  ! 

[From  the  Special  Correspondent  of  the  «  AI.TA,"  at  Washington. 

WASHINGTON,  May  25, 1874. — New  Mexico  is  half  way  into  the  Union  at 
present  writing.  She  is  a  territory  in  chrysolis,  about  to  emerge  into  the 
panopolies  of  one  of  the  great  sisterhood  of  States.  The  House  having 
passed,  by  a  large  majority,  the  bill  providing  for  the  admission  of  the  Ter- 
ritory of  New  Mexico  into  the  Union,  the  Senate  can  hardly  do  less.  Still, 
it  is  feared  the  Senate  may  prove  hostile,  or  at  least  refuse  to  act  on  the  bill 
this  session.  There  are  no  tenable  objections  against  the  admission  of  New 
Mexico.  In  population  and  in  resources  she  compares  favorably  with  the 
new  States  which  have  preceded  her,  and  under  a  State  Government  her 
population  is  certain  to  increase  rapidly,  while  her  resources  will  be  more 
fully  developed. 

Mr.  Elkins,  the  Delegate  from  New  Mexico,  in  his  very  able  speech  on 
the  admission  of  that  Territory — a  maiden  effort,  by  the  way,  and  one 
which  had  the  undivided  attention  of  the  House — asked  for  the  admission 
of  New  Mexico  as  a  State  into  the  Union  on  the  following  grounds  and  for 
the  following  reasons : 

First — Because  she  is  entitled  to  such  admission  as  a  matter  of  right, 
having  the  requisite  population  prescribed  by  law,  and- the  capacity  to  sup- 
port a  State  Government. 

Second — She  is  entitled  to  admission  into  the  Union  by  reason  of  the 
promises  and  assurances  made  by  our  Government  to  her  people  previous 
to  the  ratification  of  the  Treaty  of  Guadaloupe  Hidalgo,  by  which  she  was 
ceded  to  the  United  States,  as  also  by  the  terms  and  stipulations  of  the 
treaty  itself, 

POPULATION. 

Could  a  correct  census  have  been  taken  in  1870,  Mr.  Elkins  believes  it 
would4iave  shown  a  population  of  about  110,000,  not  including  the  Pueblo 
Indians,  recently  decided  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  Mexico  to  be  citi- 
zens of  the  United  States.  Taking,  however,  the  census  of  1870,  and  con- 
sidering the  23,000  given  to  Arizona  and  Colorado  Territories,  it  will  show 
the  increase  in  the  population  of  New  Mexico  to  have  been  about  35  per 
cent.,  notwithstanding  during  most  all  of  this  period  the  Territory  was 
cursed  by  sanguinary  Indian  wars,  her  people  killed  and  her  property  sto- 
len, her  mining,  stock-raising  and  other  industrial  enterprises  paralyzed, 
and  the  nearest  railway  a  thousand  miles  from  her  border. 

The  average  increase  of  twenty  or  more  of  the  older  States  dnring  that 
time  was  only  about  20  per  cent.,  and  the  actual  increase  proper  of  New 
Mexico  has  been  about  10  per  cent,  greater  in  the  last  ten  years  than  that 
of  Alabama,  Connecticut,  Georgia,  Arkansas,  Delaware,  Indiana,  Kentucky, 


172  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


Louisiana,  Maine,  Massachusetts,  Mississippi,  New  Hampshire,  New  York, 
North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Ohio,  Pennsylvania,  Khode  Island  and 
Tennessee. 

The  present  population  is  estimated  to  be  about  135,000.  The  south- 
ern, northern  and  eastern  portions  of  the  Territory  are  rapidly  settling, 
and  have  been  since  1870,  with  a  very  substantial  class  of  inhabitants,  de- 
voted as  they  are  for  the  most  part  to  stock-raising  and  farming.  This 
increased  impetus  given  td  immigration  to  the  portion  of  the  Territory  just 
named,  is  owing  to  the  fact  that  for  the  last  three  years  New  Mexioo  has 
been  free  from  Indian  hostilities,  for  which  reason  also,  since  1870,  in  those 
portions  large  mining  districts  have  been  opened  and  occupied. 

Fifteen  States  have  been  admitted  into  the  Union  with  a  less  population 
than  New  Mexico  had,  even  in  1870  (this  was  a  stumper  for  the  opponents 
of  the  bill),  and,  it  is  asked,  "  if  fifteen  of  the  twenty  States  admitted  since 
the  original  thirteen  have  been  so  admitted,  on  an  average  population  of 
less  than  63,000,  shall  New  Mexico,  with  an  admitted  population  of  60,000 
or  70,000  in  excess  of  this  average,  be  allowed  this  long  denied  right  ?" 
The  ratio  of  representation  entitling  a  State  to  admission  into  the  Union 
has  been  as  follows :  at  first  it  was  30,000  ;  in  1793  it  was  33,000;  in  1813 
it  was  35,000  ;  in  1823  it  was  40,000;  in  1833  it  was  47,700  ;  in  1843  it  was 
70,680;  in  1856  it  was  93.420.  No  less  than  four  States— Florida,  Oregon, 
Nevada  and  Nebraska — have  been  admitted  without  the  required  ratio, 
New  Mexico  having  more  population  than  either  of  these  States  at  the  date 
of  their  admission. 

NEW     MEXICO    SOUND,    FINANCIALLY. 

The  ability  of  New  Mexico  to  support  a  State  Government  is  not 
doubted  by  those  acquainted  with  her  condition  and  resources.  She  will 
start  on  her  new  career  with  virtually  no  debt,  the  sum  being  now  only  about 
$75,000,  with  a  sure  prospect  of  being  liquidated  in  a  year  or  two  at  fur- 
thest. Not  a  county,  in  the  Territory  has  created  a  debt  for  any  purpose. 
The  warrants  in  most  of  the  counties  are  worth  one  hundred  cents-  on  the 
dollar.  The  people  favor  the  cash  system.  They  are  wisely  conserva- 
tive in  all  monetary  affairs,  and  are  adverse  to  creating  either  a  territorial 
or  county  debt,  and  their  conservatism  has  been  greatly  strengthened  by 
the  fact  that  they  see  in  other  portions  of  the  country  the  inhabitants  are 
groaning  beneath  town,  city,  county  and  State  debt,  often  recklessly  in- 
creased. New  Mexico  being  an  old  country,  her  improvements  and  wealth 
are  substantial,  the  result  of  two  centuries.  Her  people  have  been  censured 
for  want  of  enterprise  and  public  spirit,  but  now  that  they  owe  compara- 
tively nothing,  and  there  is  no  necessity  for  any  increased  taxation,  the 
Territory  becomes  peculiarly  inviting  to  those  seeking  homes.  While  New 
Mexico  is  little  known  throughout  the  country  generally,  her  merchants 
have  been  long  and  most  favorably  known  to  the  commercial  world  in  the 
cities  of  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Chicago  and  St.  Louis. 

RESOURCES. 

The  resources  of  New  Mexico  are  not  surpassed  by  those  of  any  state 
or  territory  in  the  Union.  She  has  always  produced  and  always  will  pro- 
duce enough  to  support  her  population.  For  the  last  ten  years  she  has  done 
this,  and  with  the  surplus  supplied  the  army  and  the  Indians  now  on  res- 
ervations in  the  Territory.  Her  beautiful  and  fertile  valleys  yield  an  abun- 
dant return  to  the  farmer  for  his  labor,  and  as  a  wheat  producing  country 
she  is  certainly  surpassed  by  none  and  equaled  by  but  few  of  the  States 
and  Territories. 

Her  boundless  plains  and  plateaus,  covered  with  the  most  nutritious 
grasses  known,  make  her  take  rank  preeminently  as  a  stock-growing  region. 
This  branch  of  industry  is  now  encouraged  by  accession  to  her  stock-grow- 


ADMISSION  AS  A  STATE.  173 

ers  from  all  parts  of  the  country.  The  receipts  for  wool  and  hides  shipped 
to  St.  Louis,  Philadelphia  and  New  York,  amounts  annually  to  about 
$2,000,000,  and  the  cattle  sent  to  the  eastern  markets,  together  with  beef 
•  supplied  to  the  Indians  and  the  army,  amount  to  near  $2,000,000. 

The  Territory  abounds  in  minerals  of  all  kinds,  principally  coal,  iron, 
lead,  copper,  silver  and  gold,  and  in  inexhaustible  quantities,  but  little  de 
veloped  and  worked  for  want  of  machinery  and  railway  connections.  It  is 
estimated  that  the  mines  yield  annually  of  gold,  silver  and  copper,  about 
$2,000,000.  The  observations  of  all  scientists  and  travelers  who  have  vis- 
ited the  Territory  confirm  in  the  amplest  manner  her  claims  to  immense 
coal-fields  and  iron  deposits,  rivaled  only  by  those  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
being  almost  equal  to  hers  in  extent  and  quality. 

FUTURE     COAL    TRADE. 

It  is  estimated  by  one  of  the  best  authorities  in  the  whole  country  that 
in  the  completion  of  either  the  Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe,  or  the  Kan- 
sas Pacific  Railway  to  Cimarron,  New  Mexico,  there  will  grow  up  in  a  short 
time  a  coal  trade  of  three  thousand  tons  per  day  to  supply  six  hundred 
miles  of  country,  reaching  from  the  base  of  the  Kocky  Mountains  down  the 
Valley  of  the  Arkansas  Kiver  far  into  the  neighboring  State  of  Kansas. 
This  coal  must  be  supplied  from  New  Mexico;  it  can  come  from  no  other 
quarter;  and  this  will  be  only  the  beginning  of  the  coal  trade,  not  to  speak 
of  the  copper,  lead,  iron,  and  precious  ores  that  will  be  shipped  for  reduction. 

MANUFACTURING    ELEMENTS. 

New  Mexico  must  become  a  manufacturing  country.  She  has  all  the 
elements  necessary  to  this  end.  Unskilled  labor  and  the  necessaries  of  life 
are  cheaper  in  New  Mexico  than  in  the  Atlantic  states  and  in  the  Missis- 
sippi valley,  and  when  it  is  considered  that  New  Mexico  has  in  the  greatest 
abundance  coal,  iron,  lead,  copper  and  silver,  also  wool  and  hides,  the  time 
is  certainly  not  far  distant  when  she  will  have  manufactures  of  all  kinds, 
and  instead  of  paying  high  freight  for  cloths,  carpets,  shoes,  machinery, 
farming  utensils  and  railroad  iron,  she  will  not  only  from  her  own  manufac- 
tures supply  the  wants  of  her  people,  but  compete  with  the  manufactories 
of  the  east  in  supplying  less  favored  sections. 

RAILWAYS. 

Five  lines  of  lailway  are  under  construction,  and  pointing  to  New 
Mexico — the  Texas  and  Pacific,  Atlantic  and  Pacific,  Atchison,  Topeka  and 
Santa  Fe,  Kansas  Pacific,  and  Denver  and  Rio  Grande ;  three  are  within 
ninety  miles  of  her  borders,  with  a  fair  prospect  of  being  rapidly  extended, 
and  three  will  terminate  within  the  heart  of  New  Mexico,  and  two  it  is  sup- 
posed will  become  transcontinental. 

EDUCATION. 

Although  education  has  been  much  neglected  in  New  Mexico,  I  have 
pleasure  in  stating  that  the  people  have  become  aroused  to  its  transcendent 
importance,  and  in  1871  the  Legislature  passed  an  Act  establishing  a  com- 
moVschool  system  throughout  ttie  Territory,  and  provided  for  the  support 
thereof  that  there  should  be  set  apart  not  only  the  poll  tax  and  one-lourth 
of  all  other  taxes,  but  a  certain  surplus  in  the  various  county  treasuries. 
This  Act  has  been  in  operation  about  three  years,  and  according  to  the  re- 
port of  the  Secretary  of  the  Territory  there  are  now  established  and  in  full 
operation,  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  public  schools.  From  this  it  will 
be  seen  that  New  Mexico  appropriates  a  larger  share  of  her  taxes  fur  the  sup- 
port of  her  public  schools  than  any  other  State  or  Territory  in  the  Union,  and 
as  yet  she  has  had  no  help  from  any  source  whatever  for  school  purposes. 
In  addition  to  the  public  schools  there  are  a  number  of  colleges  and  high 
schools  in  the  Territory. 


174  BREVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


WHY    TERRITORIES    SEEK    TO    BECOME    STATES. 

It  is  often  asked  why  Territories  seek  so  zealously  to  become  States. 
To  those  who  have  lived  in  Territories  no  answer  to  this  interrogatory  is 
needed,  but  to  those  who  have  not  enjoyed  this  experience,  I  desire  to  say 
that  the  interests  of  a  Territory  to  the  General  Government  are  necessarily 
secondary.  The  Territories  have  no  vote  and  no  power,  and  are  therefore 
not  heard.  The  long  arm  of  the  Government  cannot  reach  the  distant  and 
remote  sections  and  jealously  guard  the  rights  of  the  people,  anticipate  their 
wants  and  build  up  their  interests.  In  trying  to  do  so  the  Goyernment  is 
attempting  too  much,  and  what  was  never  contemplated.  The  Territories 
want  local  self-government,  because  they  can  better  build  up  their  own 
interests  and  insure  their  own  prosperity  as  States.  The  history  of  the 
whole  country  attests  that  States  flourish  and  increase  more  rapidly  than 
Territories.  The  following  table  will  show  these  facts: 

Tennessee  admitted  in  1796 ;  population  in  1790,  35,791 ;  in  1800, 
105,602. 

Ohio  admitted  in  1802;  population  in  1800,  45,365;  in  1810,  230,760. 

Louisiana  admitted  in  1812;  population  in  1810,  76,556:  in  1820, 
153,407. 

Indiana  admitted  in  1816;  population  in  1810,  24,520;  in  1820, 
147,178. 

Mississippi  admitted  in  1817 ;  population  in  1810,  40,322 ;  in  1820, 
75,448. 

Illinois  admitted  in  1818 ;  population  in  1810,  12,282 ;  in  1820,  55,200. 

Missouri  admitted  in  1821 ;  population  in  1820,  66,586;  in  1830,  140,455. 

Arkansas  admitted  in  1836;  population  in  1830,  43,388;  in  1840, 
97,674. 

Michigan  admitted  in  1837;  population  in  1830,  31,639;  in  1840, 
212,267. 

Florida  admitted  in  1845  ;  population  in  1840,  54,477  ;  in  1850,  87,445. 

Wisconsin  admitted  in  1848;  population  in  1840,  30,495;  in  1850, 
305,391. 

Iowa  admitted  in  1848 ;  population  in  1840,  43,112 ;  in  1850,  192,214. 

California  admitted  in  1850;  population  in  1850,  92,597. 

Minnesota  admitted  in  1858;  population  in  1850,  6,077;  in  1860, 
173,855. 

Oregon  admitted  in  1859 ;  population  in  1850,  13,294 ;  in  1860,  52,465. 

Nevada  admitted  in  1864 ;  population  in  1860,  6,857  ;  in  1870,  42,491 . 

Nebraska  admitted  in  1867  ;  population  in  1860,  28,841 ;  in  1870, 122,993. 

THE    EASTERN    IDEA    OF    A    TERRITORY. 

The  idea  of  a  Territory  to  the  people  of  the  east  suggests  want  of  law, 
want  of  protection  to  property  and  life,  want  of  society  ;  indeed,  the  word 
is  a  synonym  for  disorder  and  lawlessness,  for  which  reason  emigration  and 
capital  find  their  way  so  slowly  into  the  territories ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  a 
state  carries  with  it  the  idea  of  law,  order,  strength  and  dignity,  and  has 
invariably  attracted  immigration  and  promoted  prosperity. 

But,  in  addition  to  all  this,  the  keeping  and  holding  large  bodies  of  peo- 
ple in  remote  localities  in  territorial  bondage  and  subjection  ;  governing 
them  by  laws  they  have  no  part  in  enacting;  taxing  them  without  repre- 
sentation ;  denying  them  the  right  to  elect  their  own  officers  ;  appointing  to 
the  highest  places  among  them  entire  strangers,  who  have  no  interest  in  the 
country,  who  sometimes  prove  to  be  mere  political  adventurers,  is  not  only 
unjust  and  unrepublican,  but  hostile  to  our  ideas  of  true  government. 

It  is  often  said  you  have  a  legislature  and  a  delegate  in  congress.  This 
is  worse  than  no  answer.  The  first  is  a  farce,  a  political  hybrid,  without 


ADMISSION  AS  A  STATE.  175 

sovereignty ;  the  second  only  a  beggar  at  the  doors  of  the  executive  and 
congress,  without  power.  Then,  to  escape  from  this  vassalage,  subserviency 
and  injustice,  where  there  is  no  growth,  no  encouragement,  but  where 
everything  is  dwarfed  and  limited,  we  ask  to  be  admitted  as  a  State. 

AN    ELOQUENT    APPEAL. 

New  Mexico  has  been  in  her  pupilage  about  twenty-six  years.  She  has 
had  her  delegates  during  that  period  on  this  floor,  who,  like  other  delegates, 
in  season  and  out  of  season,  have  implored  and  importuned  the  general 
government  for  attention  to  the  wants  of  the  people,  showing  that  their 
necessities  were  great ;  but  for  the  most  part  Congress,  I  learn,  has  been 
deaf  to  their  entreaties. 

By  applying  for  admission,  New  Mexico  testifies  her  willingness  to 
relieve  you  of  the  expense  of  continuing  in  existence  a  territorial  govern- 
ment, and  enables  you  to  reduce  your  annual  appropriations  at  a  time  when 
economy  and  retrenchment  is  the  popular  demand.  She  has  shown  herself 
amply  able  to  support  a  State  government  and  keep  her  credit ;  and  above 
and  beyond  all,  she  has  shown  her  devotion  to  our  institutions,  and  her  fit- 
ness to  become  a  member  of  the  Union,  by  giving  up  the  lives  of  some  of 
her  noblest  sons  to  maintai  n  the  one  and  preserve  the  other. 

THE    MEXICAN    POPULATION. 

One  reason  argued  against  the  admission  of  New  Mexico  has  been  her 
large  Mexican  population.  Of  this  class  Mr.  Elkins  said:  Unlike  many  of 
own  people,  more  fortunate,  who  had  been  born,  and  educated  under  our 
flag,  the  Mexican  population  did  not  hesitate,  did  not  doubt,  but  saw  their 
duty  clear ;  and  when  the  proclamation  of  the  President  of  the  United 
States  came,  calling  for  troops  for  help ;  and  when  the  cause  of  the  Union 
looked  dark  and  doubtful,  and  when  General  Sibley's  trained  soldiers  from 
the  Confederate  armies  were  already  on  the  soil,  these  people  as  one  man 
rallied  under  their  adopted  flag,  and  fought  gallantly  to  preserve  the  Union 
into  which  they  now  seek  admission.  How  well  they  did  their  duty  let  the 
graves  at  Fort  Craig  and  Peralta,  on  the  banks  of  their  own  loved  Rio 
Grande,  and  at  Apache  Canon,  testify.  They  loved  the  Union  well  enough 
to  fight  for  it,  and  the  Union  ought  to  love  them  enough  to  adopt  them  as 
her  sons  in  truth  and  in  fact. 

But  apart  from  all  these  considerations,  which  it  would  seem  were  of 
themselves  overwhelmingly  sufficient  to  induce  Congress  to  at  once  provide 
for  the  admission  of  New  Mexico  into  the  Union,  I  claim  her  right  to 
admission  on  still  higher  grounds  and  for  stronger  reasons,  which  cannot, 
certainly  ougjit  not,  to  be  disregarded  by  Congress.  I  claim  it  by  virtue  of 
the  stipulations  of  the  treaty  of  Guadaloupe  Hidalgo,  and  the  promises  and 
assurances  of  our  government  previous  to  the  ratification  of  the  same. 

Of  this  treaty  Mr.  Elkins  gave  a  full  and  interesting  history.  He  then 
treated  of  the  history  of  New  Mexico,  of  its  salubrious  and  bracing  climate, 
its  agricultural,  pastoral  and  mineral  resources,  its  capacity  as  a  wine  pro- 
ducing country,  and  concluded  with  these  eloquent  and  prophetic  words : 

"The  Rocky  mountains  not  only  maintain  a  peculiar  relation  to  the  great 
plains  that  lie  between  her  base  on  the  Missouri  river,  so  ably  set  forth  by 
Professor  Wilbur,  but  with  the  whole  country.  The  Mississippi  valley  and 
the  Pacific  coast  are  no  longer  divided  by  an  inseparable  barrier;  they  have 
shaken  hands  across  the  backbone  of  the  continent,  and  become  wedded  in 
a  common  interest,  the  ceremony  having  been  performed  in  the  presence  of 
the  majestic  and  snow  clad  peaks  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  who  stood  as  the 
grand  and  silent  witnesses  to  this  happy  union,  which  has  been  recently 
more  closely  strengthened  by  bands  of  iron. 


176  BEEVOORT'S  NEW  MEXICO. 


The  Rocky  mountains  rest  on  vast  coal  beds.  Here,  in  the  not  very  far 
future,  we  mast  go  for  coal,  the  great  desideratum  of  our  civilization,  the 
basis  of  almost  all  power  and  nearly  of  all  wealth,  without  which  the  world 
v,  ould  suddenly  stop,  but  with  which  it  will  move  on  to  new  and  astonishing 
conquests  in  science,  art,  mechanics  and  manufactures. 

By  an  unnatural  usurpation  cotton  was  once  called  and  believed  by  some 
to  be  king;  but  time  and  the  natural  laws  of  commerce  have  served  to  dis- 
pel this  delusion,  and  coal,  with  his  ebon  brow,  has  come  to  the  front,  and 
by  unanimous  consent  been  crowned  king  forever;  and  from  his  dark  throne, 
with  his  brother  iron,  wields  the  scepter  of  empire  over  all  human  indus- 
tries, his  realms  being  measured  only  by  man's  ingenuity. 

In  the  United  States  the  home  and  throne  of  this  king  is  in  the  Rocky 
mountains;  his  children  live  and  rule  in  the  Alleghanies  and  the  Missis- 
sippi valley.  The  Rocky  mountains  will  play  no  ordinary  or  secondary 
part  in  the  future  of  this  country.  So  long  unknown,  light  is  beginning  to 
dawn ;  we  are  but  catching  glimpses  of  the  future  grandeur  and  glory  of 
this  great  empire. 

In  New  Mexico  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  a  thousand  furnaces  for 
the  reduction  of  ores  will  light  up  the  sides  of  her  vast  mountains,  and  this 
ore,  drawn  by  a  thousand  engines  busy  by  day  and  night,  will  be  poured 
into  the  lap  of  the  Mississippi  valley ;  and  millions  of  sheep,  cattle  and 
horses  will  feed  on  her  boundless  plateaus."  c.  A.  w. 


ERRATA. 

PAGE  59 — Second  line  from  bottom  of  page:  read  "  a  popu- 
lation of  4,500,"  instead  of  «  2,500." 

PAGE  60 — Sixth  line  from   top  of  page:     read  "heretofore 
has  been,"  instead  of,  "is  kept  in  a  state  of  constant  alarm." 


THE    END. 


ELIAS   BREVOORT, 

Resident  24  years  In  New  Mexico, 

NEW  MEXICO  LAND  GRANT  AGENCY 

SANTA   FE,          •        NEW   MEXICO. 


Will  have  on  hand,  purchase  and  sell  tracts  of  Agricultural,  Coal,  Tim- 
ber and  Mineral  Lands  :  City  Lots,  Lands  and  Houses,  together  with  Gold, 
Silver  and  other  mines.  Spanish  and  Mexican  land  grants  worked  up  and 
purchased  from  first  hands ;  reliable  information  furnished  with  regard  to 
land  grants,  mines,  titles,  etc.  Translations,  surveys,  maps  and  plats  made 
and  furnished  to  order  by  competent  experts.  Best  legal  advisers,  survey- 
ors, draughtsmen  and  copyists  in  attendance. 


REFERENCES : 

JOHNSON  &   KOCH,  Santa  Fe,  BOST  &  JENKINS,  San  Francisco, 

Hon,  S,  B,  ELKINS,  Washington,  Hon,  M,  A,  OTERO,  Grenada,  Col, 


.   "W.  GORDON, 


JiYO.    IT.  JBOST,  T.  F.  JENKINS. 

Ex-Surveyor  General  of  California. 


MW  MEXICO 


BOST  &  JENKINS,  AGENTS, 

No.  331  Montgomery  Street,  Stevenson  Building,  Room  18, 
SAN    FRANCISCO,    CAL. 


Have  on  hand  large  quantities  of  agricultural,  grazing,  coal,  timber  and 
mineral  lands,  in  tracts  to  suit,  situate  on  and  near  contemplated  railroads 
in  New  Mexico. 

These  lands  cannot  be  surpassed  on  the  American  continent  for  grazing 
purposes,  being  covered  with  the  black-head  grama  grass,  so  celebrated  for 
its  nutritious  qualities,  and  being  well  watered  with  large,  pure  running 
streams,  renders  large  quantities  susceptible  of  irrigation  for  agricultural 
purposes. 

The  large  and  profitable  returns  for  the  capitalist  or  stock-raiser  are 
apparent  at  this  time  for  an  investment  in  these  lands.  We  offer  these 
lands  for  the  nominal  sum  of  from  twenty-five  to  fifty  Cents  per  acre, 
according  to  location,  quality  and  quantity. 

There  are  now  being  built  three  railroads,  all  of  which  are  approach- 
ing this  Territory.  Two  of  them  will  undoubtedly  be  completed  as  far  as 
Santa  Fe  within  two  years. 

New  Mexico  is  conceded  to  be  the  finest  SHE  EP  country  in  the  United 
States,  and  this  is  the  last  chance  to  buy  LARGE  quantities  of  land  in  a 
body  cheap. 

We  have  an  agent  in  the  City  of  Santa  Fe  who  will  be  ready  at  all 
times  to  wait  upon  our  customers. 

Titles,  Spanish  and  Mexican  grants,  confirmed  by  U.  S.  Congress. 
For  further  particulars  call  upon  the  undersigned. 

We  have  also  large  tracts  of  improved  and  unimproved  lands  in  all  parts 
of  the  State  of  California. 

BOST  &  JENKINS. 

REFERENCES : 

MESSRS.  CHRISTY  &  WISE,  San  Francisco;  HON.  J.  P.  JONES,  Nevada; 
ELI  AS  BREVOORT,  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.;  WIGGINGTON,  BLAIR- &  Co.,  Mer«ed,  Gal. 


326  Sansome  Street,  corner  Sacramento,   SAN  FRANCISCO. 


